Plan, Do, Check, Act (repeat) - Getting it Done with Business Continuity Planning

The Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Cycle are the four stages of problem resolution. The concept is also referred to as `the Shewhart Cycle'. It was originally developed by Walter Shewhart, the pioneering statistician who developed statistical process control in the Bell Laboratories in the US during the 1930's. The concept was taken up by W. Edwards Deming, the famous Quality Management authority, and is consequently known by many as `the Deming Wheel'. Properly applied, the PDCA Cycle is used to coordinate continuous improvement efforts. The concept demonstrates that improvement programs must start with careful planning, leading to effective action, then move again to careful planning in a continuous cycle. There are a wealth of resources available to guide in the use of the PDCA Cycle and it is an integral part of the Business Continuity Planning (BCP) process. Nearly every emerging standard is following this approach, including the newest, ISO 22301. One of the best things about using PDCA in the realm of BCP is pretty straight forward: it's language senior management already understands! Possibly the greatest challenges in BCP are gaining executive sponsorship, then creating a culture-shift in the organization. The last part is tricky - you can't dictate culture change, it must be LED by leaders. The best way to get leaders involved is to speak a language they already understand. Most good leaders in business today have studied Deming. Ergo: PDCA. If you need help with all this, shoot me a note!