A3 Thinking - Managing to Learn

”The most basic definition of an A3 is a P-D-C-A storyboard or report, reflecting Toyota’s way of capturing the PDCA process on one sheet of paper.  But the broader notion of the A3 as a process – embodying the way of thinking represented in the format – captures the heart of lean management.  In this context, an A3 document structures effective and efficient dialogue that fosters understanding followed by the opportunity for deep agreement.   It’s a tool that engenders communication and dialogue in a manner that leads to good decisions, where the proposed countermeasures have a better chance of being effective because they are based on facts and data gathered at the place where the work is performed, from the people who perform it.“
John Shook author of Managing to Learn.


Objectives

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the lessons and insights of Managing to Learn from four perspectives.

First, participants will explore the requirements of sound A3 thinking and management by following the stages of learning illustrated in Managing To Learn.  MTL describes how a young manager learns to handle a significant problem-solving responsibility by creating an A3 that earns him the authority to address the problem in the ways he proposes.  This occurs as he is coached on his problem solving and A3 thinking by his boss and mentor.  He steadily uses the knowledge he is learning to revise his initial “jump-to-a-solution” A3 into an effective P-D-C-A story.  Participants will examine how the A3 changes with each revision, what the young manager has learned about the A3 thinking and the A3 process that he applies in each revision, and what the course of his development indicates about the deep problem-solving focus that characterizes lean thinking.

Second, the participants will have the opportunity to develop their own eyes and ears to recognize effective A3 stories.  They will describe the problem-solving thinking that is required in each section of the A3 for the PDCA story it tells to be effective.  Participants will read several A3s and discuss how they would coach the authors to improve them.  They will then be given final versions of the A3s and asked to determine if they are more effective and why they are more effective than the originals.

Third, participants will create the Title, Background, Current Situation, Goal, Analysis and Recommendations sections of an A3 for a problem-solving responsibility in their own work.  Participants are invited to bring real A3s they are already working on for this exercise, or they may begin a new one during the class. They will work in small groups to read, discuss and evaluate each another’s A3s.  They will coach each other as authors of their respective A3s offering guidance to consider ways their P-D-C-A stories could be improved.

 

Fourth, participants will learn various forms and uses of the A3 format.  Examples from Managing to Learn will be highlighted, along with others.  Topics that will be examined include:

Basic types of A3 stories and how the format differs for each,
Role the A3 plays in the nemawashi process for gaining alignment with the stakeholders in a problem situation and seeking their agreement to proceed with the countermeasures or improvements being proposed,
Ways the A3 functions as a change management tool, a general management tool, a human development tool and a knowledge sharing tool.

Workshop benefits

Through instruction, small group discussions and exercises, the workshop participants will:

Learn the basic formats of A3s and uses of the A3 as a management process, and, 
Gain experience in the three basic roles of the A3 process:  

Who should attend?

Any manager who wishes to improve his or her organization Any manager who wishes to lead and manage his or her organization more effectively Change agents, lean promotion office managers and specialists HR and OD professionals who wish to seek more effective means to deeply improve the thinking, behavior, alignment and performance of their organization and the people in it Senior executives who wish to improve their abilities to lead and manage Anyone who wishes to improve his or her critical lean thinking

Related Books

Managing to Learn, Getting the Right Things Done, Understanding A3 Thinking and The Toyota Way Fieldbook