A3 Management Process

John Shook, author of the landmark book, Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process said in response, to the basic question “What is an A3?”: “The most basic definition of an A3 would be 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.”

Tracey Richardson will be the prime instructor for the Lean Enterprise Institute workshop Managing to Learn: The Use of the A3 Management Process June 22-23, 2010, in Indianapolis, IN. This link will take you to the full list of Lean Management Workshops. The sessions, which will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, address how to apply basic and more advanced lean concepts. This workshop is a great opportunity for people in the Midwest or practically anywhere, very attractive airfare into Indy to get hands on experience with A3’s.

Tracey was a recent Business901 podcast guest and discussed Is Problem Solving really the Core of Lean Implementation . During the podcast we touched upon A3’s and Tracey agreed to include a sample A3 from a Medical Clinic.

Medical Problem Solving A3

Tracey’s Website: http://www.teachingleaninc.com

Lean Enterprise: http://www.lean.org