Which sequence correctly describes Plan-Do-Study-Act?

• A. Plan, Do, Study, Act
• B. Plan, Act, Do, Study
• C. Do, Plan, Act, Study
• D. Act, Plan, Do, Study

Answer: (A)

The sequence follows a learning loop used to test changes and learn from them. Plan involves defining the goal, deciding on the specific change to test, outlining steps, and predicting the outcome. Do is putting that plan into action on a small scale and collecting data about what happened. Study means examining the data to see if the results matched the predictions and what was learned from the test. Act is deciding what to do next—adopt the change, modify it and test again, or abandon it—and then starting the next cycle.

This order makes sense because you need a clear plan before acting, you implement the plan to generate data, you analyze that data to understand the results, and you use what you learned to inform the next steps. Moving steps around would either mean acting without a plan, or evaluating outcomes before you’ve actually generated them, which breaks the learning process.