Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC): Find the Real Cause

The Performance Diagnostic Checklist is often called the PDC. It is an assessment tool for staff performance problems. It helps you find why a behavior is not happening at work. The tool sorts possible causes into clear groups.

This matters because teams often guess wrong. When staff slip, we assume they need more training. The PDC checks that assumption. It points you to the real barrier before you spend time on the wrong fix. This page explains the domains and how to use them.

What the PDC is for#

The PDC is an indirect assessment. That means you gather information by asking, not by watching every moment. It is efficient and easy to learn.

The tool covers four domains. These include training, task setup, resources, and consequences. You score each area to see where the real problem sits. The pattern of scores guides your next step.

Makenzie Sandler describes it as approachable for any clinician. You do not need to be an OBM expert to run it.

using something like the PDCHS, right? Tools exist out there for us... any behavior analyst could pick up the PDCHS, read a quick article and run it. From the talk. Makenzie Sandler

That low barrier is a big deal. Supervisors can add the tool to their routine. It does not require a special role or title.

Look at the environment, not the person#

The PDC pushes you to check the setting first. Often the problem is a barrier, not a bad worker. A small change to the environment can fix a lot. The person may be doing their best in a poor system.

Sandler gives a clear example about being late. The layout of the building may be the real cause.

if I'm an employee and I have to walk through the front door and then the employee clock in location... is in the very, very, very back. What is the behavior that your employees are engaging in from the front door to the back? Are they running to get there on time? Probably not. From the talk. Makenzie Sandler

That example reframes the whole problem. The staff member is not lazy. The clock-in spot is just placed poorly. The PDC helps you spot that kind of cause. It keeps you from blaming the person too fast.

Training is not always the answer#

It is easy to default to more training. But training only helps when skill is the gap. The PDC helps you rule training in or out. That saves time and money.

Ally frames it as a first step before you assume training is needed. You check the systems around the person first.

Using something like the performance diagnostic checklist, the PDCHS, could be a good place to start to think about, is this a performance intervention outside of training that we need to look at? From the talk. Ally

The tool keeps growing too. Newer versions target specific settings, like caregiver support.

There is a new PDC that is from, I think it's Ainsley Hodges, that looks at caregiver training and support and performance. From the talk. Ally

The four domains up close#

Each domain points to a different kind of fix. Training covers whether the person knows how to do the task. If the skill is missing, teaching helps.

Task clarity and process covers the setup of the work. Unclear steps or poor tools live here. Resources covers the materials and time the person needs. A missing tool blocks even a skilled worker.

Consequences covers what follows performance. Good work may go unnoticed, or poor work may be ignored. When you know the flagged domain, you match the fix to it. That match is the heart of the method.

How to run it well#

Plan for a short interview. Sandler notes it takes only a few minutes per person. You ask questions and score the domains.

it probably takes you 10 to 15 minutes per person to run it... And then you're going to want to constantly reanalyze. From the talk. Makenzie Sandler

Once scored, target the weakest domain. Build an intervention that matches that area. Then rerun the checklist later to check your work. That reanalysis step keeps your plan honest. You can see this systems view in Design Smarter: Using Instructional Design to Improve Staff and Stakeholder Training.

Fits many settings#

The PDC started in general workplaces. But its variants now reach many fields. Human services, safety, and caregiver support each have a version. This range makes the tool useful across a career.

A school BCBA can use it for teacher performance. A clinic lead can use it for RBT data collection. A safety officer can use it for protective routines. The core method stays the same in every setting.

That flexibility is a real strength. You learn one framework and apply it widely. As your role grows, the tool grows with you.

The shared logic also helps your team. Everyone speaks the same language about performance. You all look at systems before blaming a person. That common approach makes problem-solving faster and fairer.

What the research says#

The PDC has a growing evidence base and several versions. A systematic review found 28 published studies using the PDC or its variants. These include the PDC-HS, PDC-Safety, and PDC-Parent. Interventions were usually built from the highest-scoring domain (Echeverria & Wilder, 2024).

The tool works best when the fix matches the checklist result. In one school study, teacher token delivery rose only after the matched intervention. A mismatched intervention did not produce the same gain (Hoffmann & Pastina, 2024).

Newer research also makes the tool easier to use well. Adding a cutoff score and a decision model helped a lot. Practitioners became about five times more likely to pick the right domain (Vance, Saini, & Guertin, 2022).

FAQ#

What is the difference between the PDC and the PDC-HS? The PDC is the original tool. The PDC-HS is a version made for human-service settings, like ABA and residential care. Other variants target safety and caregiver performance.

Does the PDC tell me exactly what to do? It points you to the domain that needs work. You then choose an intervention matched to that domain. The research shows matched interventions work far better than random ones.

How long does the PDC take to complete? It is quick. Clinicians report about 10 to 15 minutes per person. You should also rerun it later to check whether the barrier is gone.