13 Commonly Used Quality Improvement Models for DNP Projects

Most Commonly Used Quality Improvement Models for DNP Projects and Nursing Scholarly Projects

Healthcare students choose a quality improvement methodology depending on what and why they’re looking to improve scholarly processes. Today’s article dwells on 13+ most commonly used quality improvement models in DNP projects and other nursing scholarly projects. For each, I’ll detail the respective measurement and evaluation tools.

The 4 Core Quality Improvement Metrics

There are four metrics that measure the effectiveness of changes leading to quality improvement, namely:

The Structure (infrastructure, facilities, and physical equipment).
Process of improvement / activities.
Measurable and predicted Outcomes
Balance: negative, unintentional impacts on another part of the nursing project.

What are the 4 P’s of Quality Improvement?

An effective assessment framework must holistically address the four dimensions of quality (the 4 Ps) which are:

The final Product, which is the nursing scholarly paper.
The Processes used to develop the above product.
The People (project team) involved, And
The Propellers (enablers) of high quality products and processes.

The Best Approach to Nursing Quality Improvement (QI) Processes

A good QI framework is consistent, provides common thinking, and offers a universal language for the project team. According to ResearchGate.net® the following stepwise approach yields the best quality improvement results for healthcare projects.

A Six-Step Quality Improvement Process Workflow

Identify the area of the process to improve. Discuss and understand the bundle element in the context of your units.
Gather data on current process performance. What do you want to achieve? How much? By when?
Analyze data and sort out root causes of problems.
An approval of the quality improvement framework bound by rigorous data analysis and empirical findings.
Design and build improved process solutions. How will you measure the benefits? (Driver diagram / action plans / success communication strategies).
Pilot the improved process. Experiment! Be creative and change ideas using the Test and Learn

The Six Pillars of Nursing Project Quality Improvement

Every nursing scholarly project stands on all of these six pillars.

Avoids harm and is safe for all participants.
Is effective, evidence based, and appropriate.
Respectful and responsive to individual needs (people-centered).
An effective QI process is timely.
Avoids waste, i.e it is highly efficient.
Provides an equal chance (equitable) at similar outcomes regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location of the participants.

Importance of Quality Improvement Frameworks to Nursing Scholarly Projects

You may ask yourself why nursing students use quality improvement models for their scholarly projects. Here are two strong reasons.

Reason #1: QI Frameworks Help the Nursing Project Team to Focus

One, QI models provide healthcare researchers with a step-by-step guide to identify focus areas. It therefore helps the team to design improvement ideas and to schedule their implementation. A QI framework adjusts the project, keeping it within the local context and health community systems.

Reason #2: A Functional Framework Standardizes Nursing Research Procedures

Quality improvement seeks to standardize processes and the entire nursing project structure. In return, this reduces results variation. It’s a path to predictable research findings, thereby improving outcomes for patients, healthcare systems, and whole medical institutions.

13+ Most Commonly Used Quality Improvement Models for DNP Projects & other Nursing Scholarly Projects in 2025

Before you start a project, choose a guiding improvement framework(s) that provides unbiased feedback on your progress. The 14 Quality Improvement Models for DNP Projects below are the most commonly used for nursing scholarly projects. Check out Number 9!

1. Business Process Management (BPM)

The latter-day Business Process Management model feeds on:

The 1970’s Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy which largely remains relevant to this day.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) alongside the Six Sigma model that successfully merges QI processes with statistical quality control techniques.

The original BPM model builds on three traditions – Quality Control, IT, and Management – to simplify industrial engineering. The healthcare version uses CQI & TQM functions for non-clinical management at the organizational level.

Important Note:

Only some limited, unsustainable, small-scale improvements in clinical areas use BPM methodologies.

2. Donabedian’s Framework for Quality Improvement

Donabedian (1966) believes that the three components of measurement breed an additional ingredient: balancing measures. According to this philosophy, the structure affects the processes. In turn, these two influence the model’s outcome measures.

3. Kaizen’s QI Model in Healthcare Scholarly Projects

In healthcare, Kaizen belongs to Lean quality improvement philosophies, which emphasize small, continuous improvements throughout the project. Each small change brings a minor improvement. Cumulatively, these micro improvements coalesce into significant efficiency, safety, quality, and workplace culture milestones.

4. The Fishbone Framework

The Fishbone framework runs on a cause analysis tenet. It is the spinal column of “the seven finest quality improvement tools” in nursing research projects.

The five-prong fishbone diagram – also known as an Ishikawa Diagram – identifies varying possible causes for a single effect / problem. In a brainstorming session, this is a perfect tool to sort random ideas into meaningful categories.

The Fishbone methodology separates the project problem from provisions, procedures, patrons, and the measurement environment. Through this tool, nursing project teams answer the 4 fundamental Ws of QI research: What, Why, When, and Where to improve.

5. The 5S Methodology of Quality Improvement

The 5S system improves a healthcare scholarly project’s efficiency by eliminating waste. To maintain an organized work environment, nursing researchers should:

Earmark and Sort out areas that need change.
Set the change process in order.
Polish and Shine the transformation.
Standardize improvement procedures.
Sustain the improvements during the scholarly project.

6. Total Quality Management Strategy

In medical studies, TQM ensures the project team works towards a common goal of improving research procedures and the final report. The increased need to raise research quality stems from faculty regulations, nursing academia demands, and trending hospital management initiatives.

Application of the SERVQUAL technique in TQM frameworks help nursing researchers to satisfy both the project assessors and end consumers of the scholarly report.

7. The Famous Six Sigma Model

Also known as the “Zero Defects” framework, Six Sigma expects a 99.99966% error-free success in all nursing scholarly projects. The research defect levels stay sub-3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO).

In medical research, Six Sigma blends well with other QI frameworks to help you meet strict faculty research requirements. Through this model, hospitals can send out nurses to study their niche products and services with an aim to improve or sustain them.

Important Alert!

The DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) strategy isn’t applicable in nursing scholarly projects. Use the “Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control” (DMAIC) approach to improve existing processes and procedures instead.

8. The PDCA Quality Improvement Framework

PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle is a four-step model for carrying out nursing scholarly project changes. The framework is a go-to technique in the initial planning stages of your research.

The cyclic nature of the PDCA model perfectly complements the Kaizen framework.

9. The Lean QI Model in Healthcare Research

Lean quality improvement strategy improves both the quality and safety of a healthcare project by standardizing work practices and driving out avoidable waste (“muda” in Japanese).

The Lean model identifies 8 types of waste, namely:

Transportation
Motion
Over processing
Inventory
Waiting
Overproduction
Skills
Defects

There are 8 Lean tools to help you identify & eliminate waste in nursing project processes and procedures, namely:

The A3 Report
5S Technique
Bottleneck Analysis
Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Approach
Jidoka Method
Kaizen Strategy
Kanban Technique
Poka-Yoke

10. Rapid Cycle Improvement (RCI) Model in Nursing Research

True to its name, Rapid-Cycle Improvement performs rapid, multiple PDCA cycles for a small target group in a 90-day initiative. Rather than the standard 8 – 12 months, you plan, execute, measure, and entrench transformations in less than three months.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RCI is a “quality improvement method that identifies, implements and measures changes made to improve a process or a system.”

Very Important!

Nursing researchers, be alert for “scope creep”. To overcome this malady, conduct multiple cycles of PDCA whilst improving processes.

11. Model for Improvement Framework

This one comes in two doses. Phase One sets the project aims, establishes measures, and selects an appropriate intervention. The second phase runs these interventions in real-life research settings using the PDSA cycle (See Number 12 below).

Phase One Activities

Ask yourself this: What changes will equal quality improvement? What do I want to accomplish? How long until I know whether a transition means an improvement?

The most scholarly way to answer these questions in a nursing project is through the sequence below.

Set Specific Goals

Use the SMART goal format to set the aims. Each objective should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Establish Measures

As a critical part of testing and implementing changes, measures inform the team if a change is effective. Measurement tells nursing researchers whether the transformation translates to an improvement in quality.

Select an Intervention

First discover the root cause of your problem by conducting a Root Cause Analysis (RCA).

The project team can agree to use any tool(s) below for an RCA.

Cause and Effect Diagrams (See The Fishbone Framework above)
Driver Diagrams
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Pareto Charts.
Phase Two Events

This is where the PDSA cycle comes in, something I’ll discuss immediately below.

12. The PDSA Approach to Nursing Scholarly Projects

Before you carry through the interventions in your nursing scholarly project, test small process changes using a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle.

Plan. Start by identifying stakeholders. Next, build your project team. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) framework recommends a representative from the three levels of expertise: system leadership, technical experts, and day-to-day leaders. Decide who’s going to do what, when, and the resources they’ll need.

Do it! Cautiously set the interventions in motion on a small scale. Collect and document critical improvement data.

Study the data for results after implementation. Compare the findings to your initial predictions using a graph or chart such as a control chart, histogram, run chart, or a scatter diagram.

Act on what you’ve learned. Did it work? Adopt the change. Not quite to your expectations? Adapt by starting another PDSA cycle. Abandon the darn thing if there’s no observable improvement, or the outcomes are negative.

13. The Hybrid Lean Six Sigma QI Framework

For optimal results, use a hybrid of Lean and Six Sigma frameworks in nursing scholarly projects. Although there are core differences, the two models have complementary underlying philosophies.

Lean Six Sigma targets both waste and defects in all components of your nursing project!

Another Important Note…

Any tool in Model for Improvement, Six Sigma, and Lean frameworks apply. The best way is to use a balanced mixture!

14. Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model

Improvement combines two popular QI models: Total Quality Management (TQM) and Rapid-Cycle Improvement (RCI)

Standard Definition of Common Quality Improvement Tools

Histogram: The most common graphical representation for showing frequency distributions or how often each different value occurs in a set of data.

Pareto Chart: A bar graph that shows which factors are more significant than others.

Scatter Diagram: A graph with pairs of numerical data (one variable on each axis) that looks for a relationship between the two data sets.

Driver Diagram: A visual display of a team’s theory of what contributes to the achievement of a nursing scholarly project’s aims.

SWOT Analysis: An analysis tool that evaluates the Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunity, and Time.

Get DNP Project Assistance for Best Quality Improvement Framework

Do you confuse between theoretical framework and quality improvement framework? then you need to hire expert DNP project writer to write your QI framework for your DNP project. Expert Writing Help is a specialist DNP project writing service that has extensive experience spanning over 13 years assisting DNP students in US and Canadian nursing schools write excellent quality improvement projects. Our writers are have extensively used the following QI models in their projects that include: fishbone framework, PDSA approach, PDCA quality improvement framework and six sigma approach.

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How to Write Quality DNP Capstone Project

A DNP capstone project aims to involve doctor of nursing practice students in real-world nursing care issues. The project provides you with an exciting opportunity to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and skills in addressing these problems. It also offers you a chance to showcase your mastery of the nursing specialty you are studying. Most likely, this project is going to be one of the most critical ones you will ever handle. You want to start planning as soon as you join your DNP program and stay the course until you finish it. Searching online to learn how to write quality DNP capstone project? You are at the right place.

America Needs More Nurses with Doctoral Degrees

One report revealed that only one percent of nurses in the United States have a doctoral degree. What does that mean? Choosing to earn such a degree dramatically increases your chances for career advancement. The report recommends that the number of nurses with a doctoral degree should be double the current number by the year 2020. What are your plans? Will you be part of those professionals who’ll decide to get more education? A better future starts today, and it begins with preparation.

What Can You Do with a DNP?

With a doctoral degree in nursing, you can become a nurse researcher, a nurse educator, or a nurse anesthetist. Most importantly, DNPs can become independent practitioners. That means they can increase their earnings tremendously. A nurse researcher can earn up to 100,000 dollars per year while nurse anesthetists can make even more. Nurse educators may not receive as much as nurse researchers or anesthetists, but they are not getting peanuts either. What’s more, salaries for nursing professionals might continue to rise across the board. Are you a BSN? Maybe it is time you started studying toward a DNP or Ph.D. You want to become a highly sought-after professional, don’t you?

Critical Steps: How To Write Quality DNP Capstone Project

Before you start developing your DNP capstone project, you are supposed to submit a proposal first. All the members of your chosen capstone committee need to approve it formally before you can proceed. It is a short article that describes how you will execute your DNP capstone project. At this point, you are an accomplished nursing paper writer. Naturally, you know how to distill complex information into conciseness that compels. So, take your time and write a proposal the committee will approve. Your proposal needs to be of high-quality and have clinical relevance.

Write your title page

Typically, your capstone project needs to adhere to the editorial standards of the American Psychological Association style. At this level of learning, you have mastered APA and the rest of the styles. Your title page carries the title of your capstone project and your name. Additionally, it should provide for the members of the committee to acknowledge by signature their approval.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments help you to thank every person or institution that has offered assistance and guidance along the way. At this level of study, you have learned the importance of cooperating with others. The best and most valuable projects the world has ever benefited from are rarely the result of one person’s efforts.

Then:

Write your table of contents page. A table of contents page helps you and others to get to pages or sections of interest quickly. That saves time. You also want to include a list of tables. Additionally, there needs to be a list of figures. Using tables and figures help you when you need to present data visually.

Executive summary

Your executive summary needs to inform the reader what your paper is all about. Typically, an executive summary includes more details than an abstract. Your executive summary needs to have a brief and clear introduction, body, and conclusion. It is your compressed capstone project, after all. The overview covers all the main points presented in your paper. Some students choose to write the executive summary after they have completed the project. That somehow makes it easier.

Ensure your summary is not a mere restatement of your main points. Add sentences where necessary and use transitions to make it interesting and unique. Be sure to do the in-text citations in accord with APA editorial conventions. Here, you aim to be brief, clear, and compelling. A well-written summary is captivating; it also has flow.

Problem statement

The problem statement section includes the following:
Introduction
Problem statement
PICOT questions
A conceptual or theoretical framework
The purpose and objectives of your capstone project

Writing this chapter involves presenting documentation of the existence of the problem, its scope and the clinical questions. Additionally, you should present the effects of the issue on the healthcare system and individuals. Also, include definition of terms. The problem statement chapter must describe the conceptual framework upon which you will clarify the issue and its resolution. Conceptual framework guides you as you develop the thesis of your DNP capstone project.

PICOT provides a framework to help DNPs formulate clinical questions and guide on how to get answers through research. This framework is known as Patient/population/people, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Timeframe or simply PICOT. Development of literature review is dependent on this framework, making it a crucial part of a DNP project writing guideline.

Literature review

In this chapter, you must review relevant literature related to the problem. Your review covers the issue’s historical development as well as any interventions or attempts to resolve the problem. Describe the level of evidence relied on. When searching for evidence-based information, select the highest possible level of evidence you can find. Aim to find systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or critically-appraised articles. Such sources provide “filtered” information. Unsurprisingly, the academic world views such evidence as being more reliable. Your conceptual framework helps you to organize your literature review.

Description of resolution plan

Here, you are supposed to provide a detailed description of your plan for resolving the issue. You must identify the method and process you will use to collect data and develop your DNP capstone project. Give details of the population targeted by your study. Additionally, describe the instruments needed for data collection. Elaborate on the interventions used in your plan. Include in the appendix documentation related to these interventions.

Outcomes section

Capstone projects usually aim to create real products that help communities and organizations resolve real problems. In other words, a capstone project aims to deliver ‘tangible” products or solutions that address specific issues. A teaching plan, community intervention plan, or media presentation are all examples of outcomes your project might produce.

In the outcome chapter, you should provide a detailed description of the outcomes from your plan for problem resolution. Include information on actual or potential impacts of the outcomes on individuals or healthcare delivery agency. Present outcome data. If you developed a product, you are supposed to describe it at this point. You may also include the outcome in your paper’s appendix.

Conclusions and recommendations

Prepare a summary of your DNP capstone project and its outcomes. Describe every conclusion evident from the results and process of your study. You must find creative ways to tie your discussion to the literature review. Additionally, present any recommendations that can help address the problem in the future. You can include suggestions to improve how the issue can get resolved. As you provide your recommendations, you must use evidence to support your views. An evidence-based approach always gets the attention of your audience, including the capstone committee.

Bibliography

Your paper must, of course, include a bibliography. Here is where you present in full every reference you relied on while developing your project. As you prepare this page, ensure you are adhering to APA’s editorial standards. Essentially, every in-text citation on your paper needs to appear in full on the bibliography page. If need be, review the APA referencing style manual. You can find reliable information on websites like Purdueowl.com. A well-researched and structured paper earns you top marks. But incorrect application of APA rules when formatting your document detracts from its effectiveness. You never want the committee forming the wrong conclusions about your research abilities.

Appendices

It is not a must to include this section. However, there are situations where you need to have one. An appendix functions as a repository for material that improve the clarity of your research. The content shown in the appendix does not belong with the material presented in the main document. In this section, you can include:

Copies of copyright permission such as letters documenting such approval
Questionnaires
Tables and figures not shown in the main text

Be sure to label the figures and tables in accord with the preferred editorial style — APA in this case. Where you have more than one appendix, label them in alphabetic order. You can have Appendix A and Appendix B, for example.

All Nursing Writing is Formal Writing

You should prepare your work in perfect, formal English. No contractions or figurative language. No use of words better known for the emotions they inspire than the information they convey. Instead of writing “The researcher felt..”, say “The researchers observed….”Likewise, avoid writing “James believed….” Say “James asserted..” You are reporting findings and evidence, not feelings and emotions. All nursing writing is formal writing. Formal writing differs sharply from other types of writing.

Objectivity not subjectivity

The general rule is to build your work on a solid foundation of objectivity and evidence. Using evidence rarely necessitates the use of emotion-generating words. Having an extensive vocabulary helps. It enables you to choose the words that present your information or idea most accurately. That does not mean formal writing excludes creativity, though. Your creativity helps you when choosing transition words to connect your thoughts.

Perfect work

The DNP capstone committee expects perfect work from you. They hope your project brings new ideas and insights into clinical practice and nursing care. You want a paper you can present confidently at a professional conference or submit for publication. Such work is rarely the result of luck. Perfection demands early planning, intelligent consultation as well as excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Additionally, you need to have top-notch research and academic writing skills. In case you lack the requisite knowledge on how to write quality DNP capstone project feel free to engage the best DNP project writers for assistance.

How to Write Quality DNP Capstone Project

Editing and proofreading DNP capstone project

These are critical to your DNP capstone project’s success. You never want to present to the capstone committee a document full of annoying mistakes. You should allocate enough of your time for this exercise. DNP editing and proofreading offer you an opportunity to review your report at the word, line, and paragraph level. The result should be a paper you can present confidently at a professional conference or submit for publication.

Focused editing involves much rewriting and writing

Write and rewrite your work to increase its clarity and readability. Remove every word, sentence, or paragraph that does not improve in some way your paper’s effectiveness. Aim to say in one word what you would say in three or five during conversations with friends. If you can remove a sentence or even a paragraph without making the paper less impactful, eliminate them.

Every word needs to earn its right to be part of your paper. Your goal is to inform and persuade rather than entertain. So allow a few days between completion of your writing and editing and proofreading. That provides you with an opportunity to review your work with a fresh pair of eyes. It is almost as though another person was reviewing the paper. You will be surprised at how easily you can spot mistakes when you let your paper to percolate for some time.

Keep the DNP Project Chair in the Loop

You need to relate professionally with everyone involved in your project throughout the project execution period. Avoid taking decisions that reflect on your school without informing the committee chair. Such decisions may include submitting for publishing material that discusses the project or its findings. Another situation would be submitting material that forms an integral part of your project to the public domain. Every step of the way, communicate effectively with everyone involved.

You now know how to write quality DNP capstone project. Effective planning, hard studying, excellent research and writing skills, professionalism, and focused editing and proofreading. These are the components that lead to work that shines.