Module 6
Testing Changes and Learning What Works
QI is built on testing, learning, and adapting. PDSA cycles help teams evaluate changes on a small scale before moving to broader implementation, allowing them to learn what works, identify barriers, and refine interventions over time.
Effective testing helps teams:
- Select and prioritize interventions that are feasible, impactful, and aligned with improvement goals
- Understand how reliability influences the consistency and sustainability of a change
- Use PDSA cycles to test ideas, learn quickly, and refine interventions over time
- Build confidence before scaling changes across teams, departments, or organizations
- Make informed decisions about whether a change should be adopted, adjusted, or abandoned
- Embed successful changes into workflows, policies, training, and accountability systems
Resources:
🚀 Action Step
Before moving beyond this module, identify one change idea from your Key Driver Diagram and outline a simple PDSA cycle.
Consider:
- What specific change will you test?
- Who will participate in the test?
- How long will the test run?
- What measure will help you determine whether the change is working?
- What would make you adopt, adjust, or abandon the intervention?
Write down your plan and discuss it with a colleague or improvement team member before launching your first test.
Coming Up Next
In Module 7, you'll learn how to sustain and spread improvement. We'll explore the role of culture, change management, leadership, and stakeholder engagement in helping successful changes become lasting improvements.