When urgent orders arise, will the PDCA process be simplified or bypassed?

When urgent orders arise, the PDCA process is not bypassed; instead, it is accelerated and focused. Bypassing the PDCA process entirely introduces unquantifiable risk, which can lead to catastrophic failures, especially when working with high-value materials and tight specifications. Our approach is to leverage the inherent flexibility of the PDCA cycle, executing it in a "sprint" mode that maintains its core integrity while drastically compressing the timeline. This ensures that urgency does not compromise quality or lead to costly errors.

The Accelerated PDCA Cycle for Urgent Orders

For urgent projects, we streamline each phase of the PDCA cycle by relying on pre-validated knowledge, targeted risk assessments, and rapid data feedback loops.

Plan: Rapid, Risk-Based Scoping

This phase is condensed from days into hours. The focus shifts from exploratory analysis to leveraging existing, validated data.

• Action: We immediately consult our database of previously successful projects with similar geometries, materials (e.g., standard Stainless Steel or Aluminum Alloy), and post-processing requirements (such as heat treatment). The plan is based on a known-good baseline, with a specific risk assessment focused only on the differences in the new urgent order.

• Output: A streamlined work instruction that identifies critical-to-quality checkpoints.

Do: Prioritized Execution with Enhanced Monitoring

The "Do" phase proceeds at pace, but with heightened vigilance on the identified risk points.

• Action: The order is prioritized in the production schedule. For a Powder Bed Fusion build, this means a dedicated machine and immediate preparation of the material. In-process monitoring is active, with alerts set for any deviation from the established parameters of the baseline process.

• Output: The parts are built, but with a focus on collecting key data points from the monitored risks.

Check: Concurrent and Focused Verification

The "Check" phase happens concurrently with the latter stages of "Do" and is ruthlessly prioritized.

• Action: Instead of a full suite of tests, we perform rapid, high-value inspections on the pre-identified critical features. This might involve on-the-spot CMM checks of a key dimension or a quick microstructure analysis to confirm density, rather than waiting for full lab-based mechanical testing. The witness coupons are still being built and tested, but the results are used for verification and records rather than to halt shipment.

• Output: A fast, focused validation report confirming that the critical parameters are met.

Act: Instantaneous Feedback and Documentation

The "Act" phase is about immediate application and learning capture.

• Action: If the "Check" confirms success, the "Act" is the immediate release of the parts for shipment. The process parameters are documented as successful for this specific urgent scenario, adding to our knowledge base. If a minor non-conformance is found that does not affect the function, we immediately engage the customer with the data to seek approval for a deviation.

• Output: Shipped parts and a captured "lesson learned" for future urgent orders.

How This Differs from Bypassing PDCA

The critical distinction is that a simplified PDCA cycle is still a data-driven, scientific process. Bypassing PDCA would mean building the part based on a hunch, without a risk assessment, focused inspection, or structured learning.

• Simplified PDCA: We use a pre-validated Titanium Alloy parameter set (Plan), build the part with monitoring (Do), perform a fast verification of thread integrity (Check), and ship while documenting the outcome (Act).

• Bypassing PDCA: We guess the parameters, build the part without oversight, and ship it without verification, hoping it works.

The Role of a Robust Quality Foundation

This accelerated approach is only possible because of the extensive PDCA work done during non-urgent times. The library of validated parameters for materials like Superalloy or the established procedures for Surface Treatment are the foundation that allows us to "sprint" reliably during a crisis.

In essence, for urgent orders, we do not abandon the principles of PDCA; we distill them. We trade breadth for speed, but never compromise on the core discipline of planning based on knowledge, checking based on data, and acting on the results.