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Curtin University
Office of Strategy and Planning

ADRI Quality Cycle

Curtin's approach to quality management incorporates continuous improvement, in a cycle of planning, implementation, review and improvement. Curtin actively plans for quality as well as seeking opportunities to improve quality.

The University is committed to a four-step quality cycle: Approach-Deploy-Review-Improve (ADRI).

ADRI Model Diagram

1. Approach - The Thinking and Planning Phase

The 'Approach' includes the trail from an organisation's mission, vision and values (i.e. its overall objectives) through to more specific goals and the planned arrangements for how these will be achieved. The latter may culminate in written policies and procedures. Some questions to consider:

  • What is this organisation about?
  • What outcomes is it trying to achieve?
  • What, if any, reference points (internal or external) are used in establishing the organisation's objectives?
  • How does the organisation plan to achieve its objectives?
  • Does it understand its context and capabilities?
  • Are the organisation's objectives set against appropriate benchmarks?
  • What risk management processes does it have in place?
  • Is the approach aligned and communicated throughout the organisation and more widely?

2. Deployment - The Implementation Phase

The 'Deployment' dimension considers whether, and how effectively, the approach is being put into effect. Some questions to consider:

  • Is the approach being deployed in the best possible manner? According to whom?
  • What standards and benchmarks is the organisation using to assess this?
  • If the approach is not being deployed, why not, and how is this managed?
  • Are staff appropriately trained, and resources appropriately deployed, to fulfill the approach?

3. Results - The Monitoring and Evaluation Phase

The 'Results' dimension looks at an organisation's results as a means of determining how well the deployment is achieving the planned approach. Some questions to consider:

  • Is the organisation achieving its intended objectives and outcomes?
  • Does the organisation understand why and how it achieved those particular results, i.e. are the results a consequence of the approach and deployment?
  • How are the results reported and used within the organisation?

4. Improvement - The Learning and Adapting Phase

The 'Improvement' dimension focuses on whether the organisation is actively and continuously engaged with understanding its performance in each of the A-D-R dimensions, and is using this understanding to bring about improvements. Some questions to consider:

  • Does the organisation know how it can improve?
  • How does it know this (e.g. through the use of external benchmarks)?
  • How is it acting upon this knowledge?
  • Does the organisation have a sustained history of improvement?

(Adapted from the Business Excellence Framework 2007, SAI-Global)