The completed fourth block is populated using root cause analysis tools and highlights the determined root cause. (Cause Analysis) Determine root causes using the focus areas from Block 2.The completed third block is populated with an improvement target. The improvement target must be based on current state and must be relative to the problem statement in Block 1. (Current Condition) The team develops an understanding of what is currently happening to determine what success will look like.The completed second block is populated with data determining a focus area. Using targeted data to find specific focus areas, the team breaks down the larger problem at hand into bite-sized pieces. (Background) To break down the problem and identify performance gaps, the team begins to dissect the scope of the problem statement from Block 1 and determine the area of focus.The completed first block is populated with a short problem statement and data to validate it (Figure 1).įigure 1: Block 1 of A3 Report-Clarify and Validate the Problem (Theme) Clarify and validate the problem, starting with a perceived problem and using quantitative data to validate whether it is, in fact, a problem.In addition, results of the implementation are also written down to outline what specific improvements have been realized.īelow is a completed problem-solving A3 report process using the major phase inspection process for a U-2 aircraft as an example. Follow-Up: The activities that are not completed in the time outlined, which help document problems encountered during the implementation so the future implementation can be improved.The participants clearly write the changes necessary to improve the process, prioritize the changes, establish a timeline to complete the changes, and identify the expected results.

Implementation Plan: Identifies the steps that need to be completed to realize the improvements outlined under the future state map.These countermeasures are the objective the team uses to draw the target condition or future state map, which shows how the improved process will work with these countermeasures in place. Toyota calls these improvement ideas 'countermeasures,' implying that a solution is currently being reached for a specific problem only until a better solution is found. Target Condition: Considerations of possible improvement ideas that could rectify the problem.On the right section, there are three headings: Cause Analysis: Helps determine the cause of the current problem, using various root cause analysis tools, ideally the 5 Why’s technique.The map should be enhanced by inserting quantitative information (e.g., setup times, takt time), notes, and illustrations to enhance readability and help develop a good understanding of all existing conditions. Current Condition: Helps develop an understanding of what is currently happening using a value-stream map.Background: A description of all pertinent information needed to understand the scope of the problem at hand.Theme: Succinctly states the problem(s) being addressed in one or two sentences.On the left section, there are four headings: The report typically has left and right sections, with many headings-often called blocks-in each section. Process mapping and future state analysis.Process mapping and current state analysis.The duration of an improvement event is generally four weeks and has four distinct week-long phases: Like the define, measure, analyze, improve and control method (DMAIC), the problem-solving A3 report has steps that must be followed from beginning to end. Each report has a slightly different focus, and the experience level of those facilitating the initiative may vary, but the foundation behind each A3 will not change. The A3 report can be used for problem solving, but there also are two other ways of using it: a proposal A3 report and a storyboard A3 report. The A3 report is an effective tool because it contains not only text, but also pictures, diagrams, and charts, all of which enrich and clarify the data and improve communication. The report is broken into different sections, each clearly labeled and arranged in a logical flow. The idea is to streamline the report so that it focuses only on the problem and its solution, nothing else. The thought behind the A3 report is to include all relevant information and to establish a clear representation of the current problem, eliminating 'waste' in the form of information that is not pertinent to the problem at hand. This powerful way of thinking developed by Toyota is written on ledger-sized paper (11 x 17 inches)-the A3 report-that a team can use to define or clarify problems, suggest solutions, and record the results of improvement activities. A3 thinking is based on the plan-do-check-act cycle.

A3 project management template