W. Edwards Deming—engineer, educator, and management consultant—left his mark on the working world with his revolutionary productivity principles. Although he advised international corporations, his teachings also can help local contractors improve how they work and increase profits.

Plan-Do-Study-Act
Deming’s Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is particularly helpful. It’s based on applying four steps to projects, so that the next time you work on a similar project you can do it better and faster.

For example:
Say you have a decking job to complete and want to make the fastening choice that will allow you to finish the job effectively and as quickly as possible.

Plan: You identify your options as either face screws or a clip system.

Do: You start the project and use both types of fastenings in the beginning.

Study: You evaluate which fastening method is quicker.

Act: You use the fastening system that took the least amount of time for the rest of the job and on future projects.

While very basic, this scenario demonstrates how you can apply the PDSA process to your business. As you look for ways to boost efficiency and profitability, think about how you can put the Plan-Do-Study-Act concept to work for you.

Stay tuned for more practical applications of Deming’s ideas in our upcoming newsletters.