In qualityConformance to requirements or fitness for use. Qu... management, a four-step processA series of time-based activities linked to comple... for quality improvement. In the first step (plan), a plan to affect improvement is developed. In the second step (do), the plan is carried out, preferably on a small scale. In the third step (check), the effects of the plan are observed. In the last step (action), the results are studied to determine what was learned and what can be predicted. The plan-do-check-act cycle is sometimes referred to as the Shewhart cycleSee Plan-Do-Check-Action..