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This article aims to analytically review the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model used in the Pacesetters national programme evaluation.

The evaluation team's two-fold role is outlined: supporting project teams to develop PDSA plans and collect evaluation data. Four case studies are used to show the PDSA model's application and effect in a participatory action learning approach. Despite limitations, it is clear that all four case studies illustrate the PDSA model's potential benefits in a participatory evaluation approach, which involves public and patients.

The model's effectiveness is premised on several enabling factors such as: teams appreciating the model; a climate that values all learning and open to re-planning; engaging any external evaluators whose role is clearly communicated to all project stakeholders in a timely fashion.

There are clear intentions to promote evidence-based commissioning in the UK that values patient and public involvement. The PDSA model has the potential to test and implement changes in real work-place settings and to involve the public in evaluation.

Case study analysis identifies new reflections on the PDSA model's use to support innovative NHS practice development with public involvement in a participatory approach.

Problem‐solving teams, involving front‐line staff, are widely used to achieve continuous process improvement. Approaches such as “plan‐do‐study‐act” (PDSA) cycles, are now a core element of many health‐care improvement initiatives. This paper evaluates the use of PDSA improvement cycles within the UK National Health Service, using emergency care improvement activity as a source of research evidence. It was found that, despite an abundance of information on how to implement this type of change, many senior professionals still misinterpret how this should work. This has implications for how such methodologies are implemented. There is a long way to go in allowing greater employee involvement, moving much further away from the “management committee” style of change. Care has to be taken to ensure that empowered employees are working to consistent and appropriate objectives. It is important that senior personnel develop process understanding alongside the workforce, rather than simply providing distant support.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a successful quality improvement project in an acute care hospital focused on reducing the time of the total patient visit in the emergency department.

A multidisciplinary quality improvement team, using the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) Cycle, analyzed the emergency department care delivery process and sequentially made process improvements that contributed to project success.

The average turnaround time goal of 90 minutes or less per visit was achieved in four months, and the organization enjoyed significant collateral benefits both internal to the organization and for its customers.

This successful PDSA process can be duplicated by healthcare organizations of all sizes seeking to improve a process related to timely, high-quality patient care delivery.

Extended wait time in hospital emergency departments is a universal problem in the USA that reduces the quality of the customer experience and that delays necessary patient care. This case study demonstrates that a structured quality improvement process implemented by a multidisciplinary team with the authority to make necessary process changes can successfully redefine the norm.

The paper seeks to demonstrate an intrapreneur‐led three‐phase model of innovation based on understanding the relationships between service delivery and product development thought, and the application of intrapreneurial‐focused teams in the healthcare and manufacturing industries.

The research proposes a model that starts with effective teambuilding within an intrapreneurial context, then encompasses the relationship between service and product as a platform for the development of more effective innovation. A two‐part qualitative case study provides insight and understanding of the model's application within both service and manufacturing environments.

Investigating service delivery shortfalls with effectively developed intrapreneurial teams leads to new and/or improved services. New service developments in turn lead to the development of new products. An action research model based on Deming's PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycle determines the point of departure for each stage of innovation. The PDSA cycle provides a method for combining innovation, knowledge development and management.

Current approaches focus on the characteristics of intrapreneurs rather than on the linked activities that lead to successful product/service innovation. Important issues such as how teams progress through the stages of service and product development are not usually considered. As a consequence, there is little in the extant literature to guide prospective intrapreneurs or organisations.

Little research has been conducted into how intrapreneurship occurs in organisations. This paper provides insight into how intrapreneurship functions through new service and new product innovations in both the service and manufacturing sectors.

This article aims to explore quality improvement (QI) at individual, group and organisational level. It also aims to identify restraining forces using formative evaluation and discuss implications for current UK policy, particularly quality, innovation, productivity and prevention.

Learning events combined with work‐based projects, focusing on individual and group responses are evaluated. A total of 11 multi‐disciplinary groups drawn from NHS England healthcare Trusts (self‐governing operational groups) were sampled. These Trusts have different geographic locations and participants were drawn from primary, secondary and commissioning arms. Mixed methods: questionnaires, observations and reflective accounts were used.

The paper finds that solution versus problem identification causes confusion and influences success. Time for problem solving to achieve QI was absent. Feedback and learning structures are often not in place or inflexible. Limited focus on patient‐centred services may be related to past assumptions regarding organisational design, hence assumptions and models need to be understood and challenged.

The authors revise the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) model by adding an explicit problem identification step and hence avoiding solution‐focused habits; demonstrating the need for more formative evaluations to inform managers and policy makers about healthcare QI processes.

Although UK‐centric, the quality agenda is a USA and European theme, findings may help those embarking on this journey or those struggling with QI.

This article aims to describe continuous quality improvement (CQI) for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs in a community‐based organization setting.

CQI (e.g., plan‐do‐study‐act cycles (PDSA)) applied in healthcare and industry was adapted for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs in a community setting. The authors assessed the resources needed, acceptability and CQI feasibility for ten programs by evaluating CQI training workshops with program staff and a series of three qualitative interviews over a nine‐month implementation period with program participants. The CQI activities, PDSA cycle progress, effort, enthusiasm, benefits and challenges were examined.

Results indicated that CQI was feasible and acceptable for community‐based substance abuse prevention and treatment programs; however, some notable resource challenges remain. Future studies should examine CQI impact on service quality and intended program outcomes.

The study was conducted on a small number of programs. It did not assess CQI impact on service quality and intended program outcomes.

This project shows that it is feasible to adapt CQI techniques and processes for community‐based programs substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. These techniques may help community‐based program managers to improve service quality and achieve program outcomes.

This is one of the first studies to adapt traditional CQI techniques for community‐based settings delivering substance abuse prevention and treatment programs.

This paper highlights how the European Business Excellence Model can be adapted to innovation when formulating strategies and plans. The Business Excellence Model is too general to be applied directly to innovation, and the authors find that specific criterion parts have to be supplemented. A cause and effect diagram is formulated showing eight criterion parts to be relevant when formulating strategies and plans for the company’s innovation programme. These eight criterion parts can be combined in an extended PDSA loop, where the first loop reflects the strategy and planning phases for innovations and the second loop reflects the “right” innovative, creative and learning culture that is required when implementing these strategies and plans. The paper goes into details with the first loop, where each of the four phases (PDSA) are discussed and specific areas to address are highlighted.

There is an urgent need for teacher preparation programs to equip teachers to teach in innovative and transformative ways, meeting the needs of diverse learners. Coaching is an instrumental tool for supporting change and development, especially in contexts with decentralized teacher preparation guidelines.

This multicase study examines cross-institutional programmatic innovations for coaching teacher candidates (TCs) and centering equity using improvement science and equity coaching. The authors explore the networked improvement community’s (NIC’s) examination of problems of practice through plan–do–study–act cycles in three coaching contexts within and across seven institutions.

Qualitative methods revealed that adapting coaching protocols can center equity and build equity-focused practices. This work highlights revisions to coaching within and across teacher preparation programs (TPPs), which the authors hope inspires extending equity-centered coaching and improvement science to new contexts. This cross-case analysis revealed program innovations for coaches, digital technologies and alignment.

This study addresses ongoing challenges faced by TPPs in the United States, including TCs' understandings of equity in teaching and decentralized teacher preparation that results in varied and incongruent understandings about quality teaching. This study builds on previous scholarship that examines shifts in coaching practices by disrupting silos in TPPs as examined innovations.

The paper offers a unique view of cross-institutional collaboration in coaching to improve transformative teaching experiences in teacher preparation field experiences.

The theory, process, and tools that are known collectively as “total quality management” offer ways in which empowerment of employees can support an organization′s efforts not only in quality improvement, but in empowerment as well. Its approach places the responsibility for an organization′s processes in the hands of those who know those processes best, and helps them to participate directly in the organization′s mission or purpose. In particular, the plan‐do‐study‐act cycle lies at the heart of the improvement process and represents the key to employee empowerment in that process. Using the case study of a telephone callback system and concrete examples representing applications in health care, education, and manufacturing, demonstrates how the PDSA cycle builds teams′ confidence in their ability to solve problems and bring about improvement, concomitantly enhancing pride in work and empowerment in the organization.

Interdisciplinary healthcare education and collaboration facilitates healthcare quality improvement (QI). Education challenges include cost, logistics and defining the optimum staff-engaging method. The purpose of this paper is to determine the optimum QI educational model and measure its impact using plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles.

The authors established an on-site interdisciplinary QI learning collaborative: weekly 30-minute learning sessions close to the working environment; a learning materials Twitter repository; and junior doctor-led QI work streams aligned with surgical directorate quality goals supported by a mentorship network. Delivery style (lectures, workshops and QI project reporting) and learning session content was planned weekly using PDSA cycles and modified using participant feedback (score 0-10). All surgical directorate QI work streams were measured before and at nine months.

From May 2014 to February 2015, there were 32 learning sessions with 266 scores (median 12 weekly, range 5-21). Workshop delivery scored the highest (mean score 9.0), followed by live project reports (mean score 8.8). The surgical QI work streams increased threefold from four to 12, including six junior doctor-led projects.

By proactively acting upon feedback, the authors centralised QI measurement and tailored learning sessions to staff needs. Building sustainability involves continually refining learning curriculum and QI work streams, and expanding the mentorship network.

The collaborative was established at no additional cost. Twitter is used to promote meetings, facilitate conversations and act as a learning repository. The mentorship framework builds QI and coaching expertise.