- Published
- 8 October 2026
- Last reviewed
- 8 October 2026
Make the trial question specific
Choose an improvement option connected to an investigated problem. State what the trial is intended to reveal. A trial should help the team learn whether a change is useful in its context, rather than merely confirm an idea it already prefers.
In a fictional enquiry service, the option is an assignment reminder at an agreed handover. The question is whether this helps reduce waiting without increasing duplicate handling. No performance result is assumed.
Agree scope and authority
Define the period, participants or records involved and the boundaries of the change. Confirm the process owner’s approval and any relevant access or operational conditions. Identify who can pause the trial.
Keep the trial proportionate and reversible where possible. Do not remove a safety, privacy or governance step simply to make the process faster. Use the appropriate organisational review before changing the work.
Plan the comparison
Use consistent measurement definitions before and during the trial. Record conditions that could affect interpretation, such as different demand or staffing. An observed change may have more than one explanation.
For the fictional service, compare assignment waiting using the same start and stop events. Also record duplicate handling or other relevant effects. The template organises a practical review; it does not perform a statistical experiment or prove causation.
Observe and review the outcome
Record what happened, what was expected and what remained uncertain. Include feedback from those performing and receiving the work. Explain deviations from the plan rather than hiding them.
A reminder that reduces waiting but produces confusion may need revision. The team should decide whether the evidence supports keeping, adjusting or stopping the change, within the authorised scope.
Decide the next step
Record the decision maker, reason and next action. If a change is adopted, establish the agreed process, ownership and review point. If more evidence is needed, explain the next question before extending the trial.
Download the template and complete it using a fictional example. Define the conditions for pausing the trial and the evidence needed for its review. Keep the decision separate from a claim that improvement is guaranteed.
Source and practice note
ASQ DMAIC guidance provides the improvement and control context. This trial template is an original RDE practice aid. The exercise and fictional examples are original RDE learning material.
ASQ improvement and control context
Cover image: AI-generated illustrative scene created specifically for this resource.
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Download the editable Word document
Printable PDF and editable Word document. Version 2.0, 8 October 2026. Personal and internal organisational adaptation permitted with Jefferson Otonbara Imgbi author credit retained.