Modelus A3 Report Templates made available for download

I am pleased to announce that we made our standard templates for A3 reports available as a free download from Modelus.com website: http://modelus.com/Products/A3Templates.aspx.

Earlier this year, I have reviewed Managing to Learn by John Shook and Understanding A3 Thinking by Durward K. Sobek II and Art Smalley. Both of these books have been highly influential on the design of the templates. Check them out.

Enjoy!

June book review: Understanding A3 Thinking

This month, we will continue the theme of A3 Thinking started in April with my review of "Managing to Learn" by John Shook.

Durward K. Sobek II and Art Smalley
Understanding A3 Thinking. A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management Process.

In "Managing to Learn", John Shook described the fundamentals of A3 analysis and explained how to apply A3 thinking to improve problem solving and decision making in the organization. In "Understanding A3 Thinking", Durward and Art expanded the scope of A3 reports to two additional categories: proposal reports and status reviews. All three basic types of A3 reports are listed below:

  1. Problem-Solving A3 Report
  2. Proposal A3 Report
  3. Status A3 Report

This book is a practical and insightful introduction to A3 thinking. The authors illustrated how to create different types of A3 reports and included examples, templates, exercises, and review questions for each report category. Additional topics covered include:

  • Form and style of the reports
  • Commonly used graph types
  • Standard A3 templates
  • Hand-written vs. electronic A3 reports
  • Storage and retrieval of A3's

Where shall you start if you are interested in learning logical, objective, result-focused A3 thinking process?

  1. The authors recommend starting by writing a simple problem-solving report with the scope limited to an area you have control over. This way, you will be able to focus on learning the steps of producing an A3 without the complexity of interdepartmental politics.
  2. Ask your co-workers as well as your manager/coach for feedback on your A3 report while it is still in progress. Seeking feedback from multiple sources is likely to be very insightful.
  3. Continue using A3 reports to analyze, propose, and summarize your daily work processes and projects.

To find more information about this book, click here. Happy reading!

LEI offers lean workshops in Minneapolis on July 14-16, 2009

Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) offers workshops on Lean Problem Solving, Value-Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Flow, and A3 Management Process:

What: Lean Workshops
When: July 14 - 16, 2009
Where: The Marquette Hotel in downtown Minneapolis
Cost: $800 for a 1-day class and $1600 for a 2-day class

Registration is required. Visit lean.org for complete details about available workshops and instructors.

March book review: Managing to Learn

John Shook
Managing to Learn. Using the A3 management process to solve problems, gain agreement, mentor, and lead

The term A3 refers to a size of paper defined by ISO 216. For lean organizations, A3 is also a problem-solving and improvement tool as well as a management style and process.

The A3 report is a standardized form for describing a problem on a single sheet of paper. The report communicates both facts and meaning in a commonly understood format. It describes a story behind a particular issue and is guided by PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act), an iterative problem-solving process. The process guides dialogue and analysis of the issue by discovering answers to the following questions:

  • What is the problem we are trying to solve?
  • Who owns the problem?
  • What are the current conditions?
  • What are the root causes of the problems?
  • What are the countermeasures?
  • What is the implementation plan?
  • How will we know if the countermeasures work?
  • How will we capture and share the learning?

In John Shook's book "Managing to Learn", you will find an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of A3 analysis as well as easy-to-understand examples on how to apply A3 thinking to improve problem solving, decision making, and communication in business organizations. John also explains the underlying learning process for developing talent and touches on how A3 enables the right decision at the right time. This capability of A3 helps lean organizations operate pull-based authority (aka, kanban democracy), where authority is pulled where it is needed and when it is needed: on-demand, just-in-time.

The book is organized around two story lines running in parallel. The first story line reveals the thoughts and actions of Desi Porter, a young manager who gradually discovers the meaning of the A3 process. The second story line describes the thoughts and actions of Ken Sanderson, Desi's supervisor who mentors Desi Porter in a structured problem-solving approach. While Desi is primarily concerned about his project of improving the document translation process in the company, Ken needs Desi and his other direct reports to master A3 thinking.

The book is both thoughtful and entertaining. I highly recommend it. If you are interested in learning more about the A3 management process, this book is for you.

To order this book from Lean.org, click here. Happy reading! 

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