plan-do-check-act

Name: plan-do-check-act
Author: NeoLabHQ

840installs132forks

How to install plan-do-check-act?

neolabhq/context-engineering-kit/plan-do-check-act

$npx -y skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Iterative PDCA cycle for systematic experimentation and continuous improvement

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
2
3	Apply PDCA cycle for continuous improvement through iterative problem-solving and process optimization.
4
5	## Description
6
7	Four-phase iterative cycle: Plan (identify and analyze), Do (implement changes), Check (measure results), Act (standardize or adjust). Enables systematic experimentation and improvement.
8
9	## Usage
10
11	`/plan-do-check-act [improvement_goal]`
12
13	## Variables
14
15	- GOAL: Improvement target or problem to address (default: prompt for input)
16	- CYCLE_NUMBER: Which PDCA iteration (default: 1)
17
18	## Steps
19
20	### Phase 1: PLAN
21
22	1. Define the problem or improvement goal
23	2. Analyze current state (baseline metrics)
24	3. Identify root causes (use `/why` or `/cause-and-effect`)
25	4. Develop hypothesis: "If we change X, Y will improve"
26	5. Design experiment: what to change, how to measure success
27	6. Set success criteria (measurable targets)
28
29	### Phase 2: DO
30
31	1. Implement the planned change (small scale first)
32	2. Document what was actually done
33	3. Record any deviations from plan
34	4. Collect data throughout implementation
35	5. Note unexpected observations
36
37	### Phase 3: CHECK
38
39	1. Measure results against success criteria
40	2. Compare to baseline (before vs. after)
41	3. Analyze data: did hypothesis hold?
42	4. Identify what worked and what didn't
43	5. Document learnings and insights
44
45	### Phase 4: ACT
46
47	1. If successful: Standardize the change
48	- Update documentation
49	- Train team
50	- Create checklist/automation
51	- Monitor for regression
52	2. If unsuccessful: Learn and adjust
53	- Understand why it failed
54	- Refine hypothesis
55	- Start new PDCA cycle with adjusted plan
56	3. If partially successful:
57	- Standardize what worked
58	- Plan next cycle for remaining issues
59
60	## Examples
61
62	### Example 1: Reducing Build Time
63
64	```
65	CYCLE 1
66	───────
67	PLAN:
68	Problem: Docker build takes 45 minutes
69	Current State: Full rebuild every time, no layer caching
70	Root Cause: Package manager cache not preserved between builds
71	Hypothesis: Caching dependencies will reduce build to <10 minutes
72	Change: Add layer caching for package.json + node_modules
73	Success Criteria: Build time <10 minutes on unchanged dependencies
74
75	DO:
76	- Restructured Dockerfile: COPY package*.json before src files
77	- Added .dockerignore for node_modules
78	- Configured CI cache for Docker layers
79	- Tested on 3 builds
80
81	CHECK:
82	Results:
83	- Unchanged dependencies: 8 minutes ✓ (was 45)
84	- Changed dependencies: 12 minutes (was 45)
85	- Fresh builds: 45 minutes (same, expected)
86	Analysis: 82% reduction on cached builds, hypothesis confirmed
87
88	ACT:
89	Standardize:
90	✓ Merged Dockerfile changes
91	✓ Updated CI pipeline config
92	✓ Documented in README
93	✓ Added build time monitoring
94
95	New Problem: 12 minutes still slow when deps change
96	→ Start CYCLE 2
97
98
99	CYCLE 2
100	───────
101	PLAN:
102	Problem: Build still 12 min when dependencies change
103	Current State: npm install rebuilds all packages
104	Root Cause: Some packages compile from source
105	Hypothesis: Pre-built binaries will reduce to <5 minutes
106	Change: Use npm ci instead of install, configure binary mirrors
107	Success Criteria: Build <5 minutes on dependency changes
108
109	DO:
110	- Changed to npm ci (uses package-lock.json)
111	- Added .npmrc with binary mirror configs
112	- Tested across 5 dependency updates
113
114	CHECK:
115	Results:
116	- Dependency changes: 4.5 minutes ✓ (was 12)
117	- Compilation errors reduced to 0 (was 3)
118	Analysis: npm ci faster + more reliable, hypothesis confirmed
119
120	ACT:
121	Standardize:
122	✓ Use npm ci everywhere (local + CI)
123	✓ Committed .npmrc
124	✓ Updated developer onboarding docs
125
126	Total improvement: 45min → 4.5min (90% reduction)
127	✓ PDCA complete, monitor for 2 weeks
128	```
129
130	### Example 2: Reducing Production Bugs
131
132	```
133	CYCLE 1
134	───────
135	PLAN:
136	Problem: 8 production bugs per month
137	Current State: Manual testing only, no automated tests
138	Root Cause: Regressions not caught before release
139	Hypothesis: Adding integration tests will reduce bugs by 50%
140	Change: Implement integration test suite for critical paths
141	Success Criteria: <4 bugs per month after 1 month
142
143	DO:
144	Week 1-2: Wrote integration tests for:
145	- User authentication flow
146	- Payment processing
147	- Data export
148	Week 3: Set up CI to run tests
149	Week 4: Team training on test writing
150	Coverage: 3 critical paths (was 0)
151
152	CHECK:
153	Results after 1 month:
154	- Production bugs: 6 (was 8)
155	- Bugs caught in CI: 4
156	- Test failures (false positives): 2
157	Analysis: 25% reduction, not 50% target
158	Insight: Bugs are in areas without tests yet
159
160	ACT:
161	Partially successful:
162	✓ Keep existing tests (prevented 4 bugs)
163	✓ Fix flaky tests
164
165	Adjust for CYCLE 2:
166	- Expand test coverage to all user flows
167	- Add tests for bug-prone areas
168	→ Start CYCLE 2
169
170
171	CYCLE 2
172	───────
173	PLAN:
174	Problem: Still 6 bugs/month, need <4
175	Cur

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plan-do-check-act

840installs132forks

View on GitHub

How to install plan-do-check-act?

neolabhq/context-engineering-kit/plan-do-check-act

$npx -y skills add NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kit --skill plan-do-check-act

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Iterative PDCA cycle for systematic experimentation and continuous improvement

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
2
3	Apply PDCA cycle for continuous improvement through iterative problem-solving and process optimization.
4
5	## Description
6
7	Four-phase iterative cycle: Plan (identify and analyze), Do (implement changes), Check (measure results), Act (standardize or adjust). Enables systematic experimentation and improvement.
8
9	## Usage
10
11	`/plan-do-check-act [improvement_goal]`
12
13	## Variables
14
15	- GOAL: Improvement target or problem to address (default: prompt for input)
16	- CYCLE_NUMBER: Which PDCA iteration (default: 1)
17
18	## Steps
19
20	### Phase 1: PLAN
21
22	1. Define the problem or improvement goal
23	2. Analyze current state (baseline metrics)
24	3. Identify root causes (use `/why` or `/cause-and-effect`)
25	4. Develop hypothesis: "If we change X, Y will improve"
26	5. Design experiment: what to change, how to measure success
27	6. Set success criteria (measurable targets)
28
29	### Phase 2: DO
30
31	1. Implement the planned change (small scale first)
32	2. Document what was actually done
33	3. Record any deviations from plan
34	4. Collect data throughout implementation
35	5. Note unexpected observations
36
37	### Phase 3: CHECK
38
39	1. Measure results against success criteria
40	2. Compare to baseline (before vs. after)
41	3. Analyze data: did hypothesis hold?
42	4. Identify what worked and what didn't
43	5. Document learnings and insights
44
45	### Phase 4: ACT
46
47	1. If successful: Standardize the change
48	- Update documentation
49	- Train team
50	- Create checklist/automation
51	- Monitor for regression
52	2. If unsuccessful: Learn and adjust
53	- Understand why it failed
54	- Refine hypothesis
55	- Start new PDCA cycle with adjusted plan
56	3. If partially successful:
57	- Standardize what worked
58	- Plan next cycle for remaining issues
59
60	## Examples
61
62	### Example 1: Reducing Build Time
63
64	```
65	CYCLE 1
66	───────
67	PLAN:
68	Problem: Docker build takes 45 minutes
69	Current State: Full rebuild every time, no layer caching
70	Root Cause: Package manager cache not preserved between builds
71	Hypothesis: Caching dependencies will reduce build to <10 minutes
72	Change: Add layer caching for package.json + node_modules
73	Success Criteria: Build time <10 minutes on unchanged dependencies
74
75	DO:
76	- Restructured Dockerfile: COPY package*.json before src files
77	- Added .dockerignore for node_modules
78	- Configured CI cache for Docker layers
79	- Tested on 3 builds
80
81	CHECK:
82	Results:
83	- Unchanged dependencies: 8 minutes ✓ (was 45)
84	- Changed dependencies: 12 minutes (was 45)
85	- Fresh builds: 45 minutes (same, expected)
86	Analysis: 82% reduction on cached builds, hypothesis confirmed
87
88	ACT:
89	Standardize:
90	✓ Merged Dockerfile changes
91	✓ Updated CI pipeline config
92	✓ Documented in README
93	✓ Added build time monitoring
94
95	New Problem: 12 minutes still slow when deps change
96	→ Start CYCLE 2
97
98
99	CYCLE 2
100	───────
101	PLAN:
102	Problem: Build still 12 min when dependencies change
103	Current State: npm install rebuilds all packages
104	Root Cause: Some packages compile from source
105	Hypothesis: Pre-built binaries will reduce to <5 minutes
106	Change: Use npm ci instead of install, configure binary mirrors
107	Success Criteria: Build <5 minutes on dependency changes
108
109	DO:
110	- Changed to npm ci (uses package-lock.json)
111	- Added .npmrc with binary mirror configs
112	- Tested across 5 dependency updates
113
114	CHECK:
115	Results:
116	- Dependency changes: 4.5 minutes ✓ (was 12)
117	- Compilation errors reduced to 0 (was 3)
118	Analysis: npm ci faster + more reliable, hypothesis confirmed
119
120	ACT:
121	Standardize:
122	✓ Use npm ci everywhere (local + CI)
123	✓ Committed .npmrc
124	✓ Updated developer onboarding docs
125
126	Total improvement: 45min → 4.5min (90% reduction)
127	✓ PDCA complete, monitor for 2 weeks
128	```
129
130	### Example 2: Reducing Production Bugs
131
132	```
133	CYCLE 1
134	───────
135	PLAN:
136	Problem: 8 production bugs per month
137	Current State: Manual testing only, no automated tests
138	Root Cause: Regressions not caught before release
139	Hypothesis: Adding integration tests will reduce bugs by 50%
140	Change: Implement integration test suite for critical paths
141	Success Criteria: <4 bugs per month after 1 month
142
143	DO:
144	Week 1-2: Wrote integration tests for:
145	- User authentication flow
146	- Payment processing
147	- Data export
148	Week 3: Set up CI to run tests
149	Week 4: Team training on test writing
150	Coverage: 3 critical paths (was 0)
151
152	CHECK:
153	Results after 1 month:
154	- Production bugs: 6 (was 8)
155	- Bugs caught in CI: 4
156	- Test failures (false positives): 2
157	Analysis: 25% reduction, not 50% target
158	Insight: Bugs are in areas without tests yet
159
160	ACT:
161	Partially successful:
162	✓ Keep existing tests (prevented 4 bugs)
163	✓ Fix flaky tests
164
165	Adjust for CYCLE 2:
166	- Expand test coverage to all user flows
167	- Add tests for bug-prone areas
168	→ Start CYCLE 2
169
170
171	CYCLE 2
172	───────
173	PLAN:
174	Problem: Still 6 bugs/month, need <4
175	Cur

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