A3 Thinking in lean
In lean management, A3 thinking methodology is structured for continuous improvement and problem solving. The A3 name was inspired from the international A3 paper size (48.13* 27.94) cm. In order to use A3 approach, we need only A3 sheet, pencil and eraser. Pencil is preferred rather than pen because we need to erase and rewrite many times. We did not need any special software to use this methodology
A3 thinking considered as structured and logical approach in lean thinking. It can be used for all types of problems across business. It is adopted by Toyota production system. A3 helps to maintain sustainable and lean environment within the organization
The Power of A3 is taken from systematic and structured methods to solve problems. It was built around and inspired by PDCA philosophy. The corner angle of the A3 method is to find the root cause instead of searching for a temporary solution which will not be effective. A3 passes by seven stages as shown in the below figure
A3 Stages Model
Background: In this step it is important to report the problem selected and the reason behind choosing this problem
Current Conditions: The purpose of this stage is to document the statue-quo of the problem. It is crucial to use charts and graphs to better analyze the situation
Target: In this stage, we must identify the expected outputs and benefits from the problem-solving process; in addition to, KPIs and metrics to better measure the project success
Analysis: It is ineluctable in this stage to neglect problem understanding and the reason behind it. This process may need complex statistical tools
Proposed Countermeasures: a list of actions must be determined to prevent the repetition of the root-cause another time in the future
Plan: In order to reach goals or targets, we need to identify a plan to implement the countermeasures. It is preferred to use Gantt charts for planning
Follow-up: In the last stage, the outcomes of the plan are evaluated
Conclusion
A3 approach is an effective way to group together different problem-solving approaches in one place. A3 will provide stakeholders with continuous updates of the whole project. It is prefers to use data visuals and graphs to be more effective in presenting data