In the PDSA cycle, what does the 'Study' phase involve?

• A. Analyzing results from the Do phase to determine if the change should be adopted.
• B. Planning the change.
• C. Executing the change.
• D. Publishing results.

Answer: (A)

The Study phase is about learning from what happened when you tested the change. After you Plan the change and carry it out in the Do phase, you pause to analyze the data and observations gathered during implementation. This means comparing actual results to what you predicted, checking whether the improvement occurred, and assessing whether the change was reliable, feasible, and scalable. The goal is to decide what to do next: adopt the change as standard practice if it worked, modify and test again if it didn’t fully meet expectations, or abandon the change if it didn’t yield the desired effect. The emphasis is on data-driven judgment about the effectiveness and durability of the improvement. Planning is the planning step, executing is the doing step, and publishing results isn’t a formal PDSA phase, though findings may be shared after the cycle.