儘管，PDCA循環（或稱作：休哈特循環）已經存在數十載，不過，該循環仍然是企業中最簡單、最容易被誤解的概念之一。中英對照，一文告訴你，PDCA沒你想得那麼簡單！
Although it’s been around for decades, the PDCA (or Shewhart) Cycle continues to be one of the simplest – and most misunderstood – concepts in business. Introduced to the masses by W.Edwards Deming, many people don’t initially see the cycle as significantly different from the way they already work. After working with the cycle for many years, however, I have found that most organizations do not even come close to truly understanding or applying a PDCA mindset.
儘管，PDCA循環（或稱作：休哈特循環）已經存在數十載，不過，該循環仍然是企業中最簡單、最容易被誤解的概念之一。
PDCA循環，由W•愛德華茲•戴明博士介紹給民眾的，很多人最初並不認為該循環與自己的工作方式有多大不同。
然而，經過多年的循環工作，我發現大多數組織甚至都沒有真正理解或者運用PDCA的思維模式。
PDCA循環
Americans generally follow a solutions thinking, rather than a PDCA approach that attempts to find the perfect solution and a “permanent” fix to a problem. The high level of complexity among interactions within processes and systems, however, along with the fact that the world is in constant change, makes it unrealistic to think that permanent solutions to problems can be developed. The best that one can expect when facing an issue is to address it under current conditions and, once addressed, continue to look for recurrence and further improvements.美國人通常會遵循解決方案的思維，而不是試圖去找到完美的解決方案和“永久”性解決問題的PDCA方法。
然而，流程和系統之間交互的高度複雜性，加上不斷變化的事實，使得認為能夠制定永久性的問題解決方案變得不那麼現實。
面對問題，我們所能期望的最好的方法就是在當前狀況下去解決，問題即便得以解決，仍然會繼續復發，並且需要深入的改進。
Besides the time it takes to seek the perfect solution to a problem, solutions thinking can give a false sense of security that a situation is permanently resolved. As circumstances change, a “resolved” problem can reappear without warning and cause significant damage if the team has moved on and stopped looking for the condition to recur.
撇開尋找問題的完美解決方案所需的時間之外，解決方案的思維還可能給人以一種錯誤的安全感，即：狀況已經得以永久解決。
隨著情況的變化，“已解決”的問題可能會在沒有徵兆的情況下再度出現，如果團隊已經繼續前行，並不再尋找處理問題再次出現的情況，則會造成嚴重的損失。
By contrast, the PDCA approach addresses problems as a potentially never-ending cycle. Instead of seeking the perfect solution, one or more countermeasures are developed and implemented quickly to stop the condition from continuing to cause damage. Since it is recognized that the countermeasure may not be a permanent fix or completely solve the problem, the team continues to monitor the process to determine the effectiveness of the change. Adjustments are often made to the countermeasures – and new ones developed – to assure the situation continues to improve.
相比之下，PDCA方法把問題作為一個潛在的永無止境的循環來加以解決。
PDCA循環並不尋求完美的解決方案，而是快速制定和實施一個或者多個對策，以阻狀況會繼續造成損失。人們已經認識到對策可能並不是永久性的解決方法，或者能夠完全解決問題，因此，團隊會繼續監控過程以確定變更的有效性。
經常對措施進行相應的調整，並制定全新的對策，以確保狀況能繼續得到改善。
As the process stabilizes, the team looks for ways to further reduce the likelihood of the problem recurring (by addressing other potential causes) or tackles another problem plaguing the process. Each adjustment leads to another fairly quick trip around the PDCA cycle that results in a more robust process and additional learning.
隨著過程的穩定，團隊會尋求進一步降低問題再度發生的可能性（通過解決其他的潛在原因的方式進行），或者解決另一個對過程形成困擾的問題。
每一次的調整，都會導致圍繞著PDCA循環的另一個相當快速的過程，進而，讓過程更加穩健，並能吸取額外的知識。
SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
那麼，區別是什麼呢？
The major differences between PDCA and traditional thinking include:
PDCA與傳統思維的主要區別包括以下方面：
-01-
Scientific Approach: A conscious effort to apply a scientific approach to improvement involves developing a hypothesis, testing the premise, formally evaluating whether or not the hypothesis was correct, and acting on the results. Although the traditional approach relies on some level of hypothesis testing, the check step makes it a more conscious effort within PDCA thinking that, when applied over-and-over again, results in developing a scientific thinking mindset throughout the organization;
科學方法：有意識地將科學方法應用於改進方面，包括：制定假設，測試前提，正式評估假設是否正確，並基於結果採取對應的行動。
雖然傳統的方法依賴於某種程度的假設測試，但檢查步驟使得在PDCA的思維中更加自覺地努力，一次又一次地加以運用，使得整個組織中形成科學的思維模式；
-02-
Countermeasures: Within PDCA thinking, there is clear understanding that, although an action is an improvement, it is not necessarily a permanent solution;
對策：在PDCA思維中，我們明確的意識到-雖然，行動是一種改進，但卻不一定是永久的解決方案；
-03-
Speed: Since the effort is not directed toward the perfect solution, improvements are made much more often and at a much quicker pace. PDCA is oriented toward a “just do it” mindset, where ideas are tested and implemented fairly quickly, even if the resulting improvement may be fairly small.
速度：由於這項工作並非針對完美的解決方案，因此改進的頻次會更高，速度也會更快。
PDCA面向的是“就這麼幹”的思維模式，在這種思維模式中，想法得到了非常快速的測試和實施，即使所產生的改進也許很小。
The quickest way to determine a group’s collective mindset is to observe how it addresses problems. If discussions tend to bog down as the team searches for permanent solutions, it is a safe bet that PDCA is not the norm. Also, ideas regularly “tested” and rejected in conference rooms rather than real situations is another sign of a solutions thinking mindset.
觀察某個群體如何解決問題，是判定其集體心態最快的方法。
如果在團隊尋找永久性解決方案的過程中，討論趨於停頓，那麼可以肯定的是，PDCA在該群體中並不是規範的。
此外，經常在會議室，而不是在現實情況中“測試”和“拒絕”想法，是解決方案思維定勢的另一個標誌。
PDCA VS 解決方案思維
The exhibit shows another difference between PDCA and solutions thinking. Ideas and improvements occur much more quickly with PDCA than with solutions thinking. Although each improvement is generally much smaller in scope than with solutions thinking, the rapid pace of improvements when applying PDCA results in far greater improvement of the process over time.
上圖展示了PDCA與解決方案思維的另一個不同。與解決方案思維相比，使用PDCA，想法和改進的速度要更快一些。
儘管，每一項改進在範圍上往往比解決方案的思維要小得多，但是在運用PDCA時，快速的改進速度會伴隨時間的推移而讓過程得到更大改進。
Since processes tend to naturally deteriorate between improvement efforts, the longer the improvement cycle, the more deterioration that occurs. Because of this, the fewer number of improvement cycles, the slower overall pace of improvement that will occur over time.
由於過程往往在改進工作間自然而然地惡化，而改進循環越長，惡化的狀況就越多。
有鑑於此，改進循環的數量越少，整體的改進速度就會越慢。
THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION
學習型組織
Another advantage of PDCA thinking is the amount of learning that takes place about the process during each cycle. Because solutions thinking deploys fewer improvement cycles and focuses attention specifically on the problem at hand, less learning takes place about the overall process. The increased learning resulting from deploying PDCA throughout the organization further adds to the overall pace of improvement cycles.
PDCA思維的另一個優點是：在每個循環期間，學識會在過程中產生。
因為解決方案思維部署的改進循環較少，並且特別關注手頭的問題，所以對整個過程的學識較少。
通過在整個組織中部署PDCA，增加的學識則進一步增加了改進循環的總體速度。
Those who fail to recognize the true significance of PDCA often require a good deal of coaching, reflection, and experience with the cycle to truly understand why it is different and how it can benefit the organization. Without a certain level of transformation toward PDCA, however, the implementation of improvement methods like lean thinking or 6-sigma will be difficult, if not possible.
還沒有認識到PDCA的真正意義的人，往往要需要大量的輔導、反思和經驗，才能真正地理解PDCA的不同之處，以及其如何為組織帶來好處。
如果沒有面向PDCA進行一定程度的變革，而推行諸如精益思維或者六西格瑪等改進方法又無法避免，那麼將會狀況會變得很困難。
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