Define the system and unit of analysis
Specify process, population, product, time window, boundaries and aggregation level. Without a defined unit of analysis, measures and comparisons may represent different phenomena.
TECHNICAL GUIDE · STRUCKEL TOOLS
PDS-02 · Continuous improvement
Advanced PDSA
Extends PDSA with diagnosis, hypotheses, predictions, data collection, resources, risks, results and an explicit learning record.
PDSA · diagnóstico · predições · coletaFormulários Struckel
01
MANAGEMENT QUESTION
The problem the tool must make decidable.
Before opening a form, define the question that must be answered. A management tool is useful when it reduces ambiguity, exposes assumptions and makes clear which decision will be made from the evidence produced.
PDS-02How can a theory of change be tested with predictions, data-collection plans, test conditions, risks and linked cycles?
Continuous improvement requires separating opinion from evidence and turning a broad problem into a sequence that can be observed, tested and revised. The tool creates value when it starts from an explicit current condition, applies criteria before concluding and ends with a verifiable decision — not merely a completed document.
Use it when you need to reduce variation, solve recurring problems, test changes, prioritize causes or preserve learning beyond the meeting in which it was produced.
02
METHOD ARCHITECTURE
Technical construction: from operational definition to evidence.
An improvement cycle creates temporal discipline: plan with a hypothesis, execute under control, observe effects and decide the next move. Closing the cycle should produce reusable knowledge, not merely confirmation that a task was completed.
Define criteria before evaluation
Translate abstract concepts into operational definitions, scales, classification rules and data sources. Criteria should exist before the result to reduce retrospective interpretation.
Preserve traceability
Link each conclusion to data, observations, assumptions and owners. When a score is used, retain its components; when a hypothesis is used, record how it will be tested.
Compare what was observed with what was expected. Record deviations, test conditions, data and the rationale to adopt, adapt, standardize or test again.
03
WORKED EXAMPLE
How the method behaves in a real situation.
For a 45-minute machine setup, the team predicts externalizing two activities will save 10 minutes. It measures baseline setups, runs several cycles with different operators and records variation, failures and safety before scaling.
The example is intentionally specific. Numbers illustrate the reasoning and are not universal benchmarks: limits, scales and targets must be defined for the process being analyzed.04
MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION
What to observe so the document does not become mere form filling.
Measures should serve reasoning. Whenever possible combine outcome, process and contextual evidence. For time series, look for patterns and variation rather than only point-in-time before/after comparisons.
01time-ordered baseline
02cycle predictions
03test conditions
04balancing measures
05degree of belief/evidence
Consistency test
Ask whether another person, using the same definitions and evidence, would reach a similar interpretation. If the answer depends heavily on individual judgment, refine the operational definition, scale or data source.
05
LIMITATIONS AND GOVERNANCE
The tool supports decisions; it does not replace judgment, context and validation.
Established method/tool in professional and academic literature; exact implementation should be tailored to context.
Scaling too early reduces learning and increases risk. One favorable result does not separate real effect from chance, seasonality or context.
Define an owner, review frequency, official data source and condition for reopening the decision. Link actions to deadlines and indicators, hypotheses to tests, and risks to treatment and follow-up.
DefinitionEvidenceInterpretationDecisionReview
06
METHODOLOGICAL BASIS
References for deeper study of the method.
The references below support the methodological family or principle used. Struckel’s digital implementation operationalizes application, documentation and traceability; it does not change the conceptual limits of the original sources.
IHI_MFI
Open reference Langley GL, Moen RD, Nolan KM, Nolan TW, Norman CL, Provost LP. The Improvement Guide: A Practical Approach to Enhancing Organizational Performance. 2nd ed. Jossey-Bass; 2009.
IHI_CHANGE
Open reference Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Model for Improvement: Selecting Changes.
MOEN_NORMAN
Open reference Moen RD, Norman CL. Circling Back: Clearing up myths about the Deming cycle and seeing how it keeps evolving. Quality Progress. 2010;43(11):22–28.
MONTGOMERY
Montgomery DC. Introduction to Statistical Quality Control. Wiley.
USE IT IN PRACTICE
Turn the method into a document ready for real work.
Struckel Forms offers a free way to structure this methodology with guided fields, contextual help and print/PDF preparation. Use the tool to organize reasoning; use consulting when the challenge requires design, implementation, facilitation or executive follow-up.