PDSA Cycle Model | Plan-Do-Study-Act Template

What the PDSA cycle is

The PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycle is a structured method for testing a change in your workplace before deciding whether to adopt it, adapt it or abandon it. Each stage has a clear purpose: - **Plan** — you define what you are trying to accomplish, how you will know a change is an improvement, and which changes are worth testing. You also decide what change to test with the PDSA cycle, who will carry out the plan, what results you expect, how long the change will take to put in place, and what data or information must be collected to know whether this is an improvement opportunity. - **Do** — you put the change into practice and document what happened during implementation. This is where you capture the practical realities of running the test, not just the intended plan. - **Study** — you record and analyse the results, compare the test results with your predictions, and draw conclusions based on what the results show. Use photos, videos or other attachments where necessary to document experiments, observations and findings. - **Act** — you decide what to do next. Consider whether any modifications are needed to the change you tested, and given the test results, what the next steps are. A PDSA cycle is deliberately small and iterative. By testing on a limited scale first, you learn what works in your actual conditions before committing resources more widely.

Why it matters

The PDSA cycle matters because it replaces assumption with evidence. When you define measures in the Plan stage and then record and analyse results in the Study stage, you create a factual basis for deciding whether a change is worth keeping. Comparing test results with predictions shows where your expectations were right and where reality differed, which is often where the most useful learning lies. The Act stage prevents the cycle from ending as a one-off experiment. By asking whether modifications are needed and what the next steps are, the model encourages you to repeat the cycle with an adapted change, spread a successful change, or stop a change that did not work. Documenting each stage also gives you a record of the change status and progress, which is useful when you need to explain your decisions to others or revisit them later. Because the model captures who is responsible for carrying out the plan and who prepared the record, it also supports accountability: people can see not just what was decided but who owned it.

What a good PDSA record covers

A complete PDSA record answers a specific set of questions at each stage. In Plan, it records the aim, the measures of improvement, and the opportunities for change. It identifies the change being tested, names the person responsible for carrying out the plan, states the expected results, sets out how long the change will take to put in place, and lists the data or information that must be collected to know whether this is an improvement opportunity. In Do, it documents what happened during implementation, and captures experiments, observations and findings, including photos, videos or other attachments where necessary. In Study, it records and analyses the results, compares the test results with the predictions, and draws conclusions based on the test results. In Act, it revisits the improvement opportunities with a specific question — are there any modifications to make to the change we tested? — and asks what the next steps are given the test results. At completion, the record includes comments, recommendations and next steps, a signature, a finished-at entry, and the real start and end dates of the inspection. It also notes when it was conducted, who prepared it, and the location.

How to run the cycle

**1. Plan.** Write down your aim, your measures and your opportunities for improvement. Decide which change you are testing, who will be responsible, what results you expect and how long the change will take. Decide what data or information you will collect so that you can judge the result. **2. Do.** Carry out the change and document what actually happened during implementation. Record experiments, observations and findings as they occur, and attach photos, videos or other files where they help to show what you saw. **3. Study.** Record and analyse the results. Compare the results with your predictions. Draw conclusions based on what the results show, not on what you hoped to see. **4. Act.** Ask whether any modifications are needed to the change you tested. Decide the next steps in light of the results. You might adapt the change and run another cycle, adopt it more widely, or drop it. **5. Close out.** Add comments, recommendations and next steps, sign the record, note when it was finished, and enter the real start and end dates. Confirm who conducted it, who prepared it and the location.

How the model helps

The PDSA cycle model gives you one structured place to plan and document the status and progress of each change you test. Rather than keeping the plan, the observations and the conclusions in separate notes, you work through the four stages in order, so the link between what you intended, what happened, what you learned and what you decided stays visible. The person of reference for the team — the project lead or coordinator — should use the model and encourage review and contribution from other team members so that the cycle reflects the whole team's view. Because the model asks for the data or information that must be collected, it prompts you to think about measurement before you start, not after. And because it asks for comments, recommendations and next steps, each cycle ends with a decision rather than an open question.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can use the model to plan and document the status and progress of a change. The person of reference for the team, such as the project lead or coordinator, should complete it and encourage review and input from other team members so that the PDSA cycle is comprehensive.

The template covers four stages. Plan asks what you are trying to accomplish, how you will know a change is an improvement, and what changes you can make. Do records who is responsible, what change is being tested, the expected results, the timeline, and what data must be collected. Study documents what happened, records and analyses results, compares them with predictions, and draws conclusions. Act asks whether modifications are needed and what the next steps are.

The model includes fields for comments, recommendations and next steps, a signature, and the real start and end dates of the inspection. These close the cycle and provide a record of completion.

Written by

Arne Reis

Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

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