Which improvement model follows Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles?

• A. PDCA
• B. Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
• C. Six Sigma
• D. Lean Startup

Answer: (B)

An iterative improvement loop that emphasizes learning from each cycle is being tested. It follows a sequence of planning a change, implementing it, studying the results, and acting on what’s learned to refine the approach. This exact sequence—Plan, Do, Study, Act—is the hallmark of the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle, a method prized for its disciplined, small-step testing and rapid feedback to improve processes. Plan sets the goal and design, Do carries out the change, Study measures and analyzes what happened, and Act decides whether to adopt, modify, or discard the change based on what was learned. In practice this supports continuous improvement by turning ideas into testable experiments and using results to drive the next cycle. The other options don’t fit this precise sequence: the commonly cited PDCA uses a Check step instead of Study; Six Sigma is built around structured DMAIC/DMADV projects; Lean Startup centers on Build-Measure-Learn feedback rather than Plan-Do-Study-Act. So the exact match is Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle.