Understanding A3 Thinking: A Critical Component of Toyota's PDCA Management System

Durward K. Sobek II

Art Smalley

Productivity Press

Winner of a 2009 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize. Notably flexible and brief, the A3 report has proven to be a key tool In Toyota’s successful move toward organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and improvement, especially within its engineering and R&amp;D organizations. The power of the A3 report, however, derives not from the report itself, but rather from the development of the culture and mindset required for the implementation of the A3 system. 
In Understanding A3 Thinking, the authors first show that the A3 report is an effective tool when it is implemented in conjunction with a PDCA-based management philosophy. Toyota views A3 Reports as just one piece in their PDCA management approach. Second, the authors show that the process leading to the development and management of A3 reports is at least as important as the reports themselves, because of the deep learning and professional development that occurs in the process. And finally, the authors provide a number of examples as well as some very practical advice on how to write and review A3 reports.

Business & Money

Economics

When faced with problems many business leaders and teams reach for familiar and standard problem-solving methods, often creating unnecessary struggle, frustration, delay, and ineffectiveness in solving the problem -- if it is ever solved at all! In other words, they keep reaching for the same old hammer as if every business problem were a nail. In Four Types of Problems, continuous improvement expert and author Art Smalley shows you how to break the "hammer-and-nail" trap. He demonstrates that most business problems fall into four main categories: 1.Troubleshooting 2. Gap-from-standard3. Target-state 4. Open-ended and Innovation "Organizations and individuals at all levels fall into the trap of having one primary or standard way of solving every problem," writes Smalley, who learned problem solving from Tomoo Harada at Toyota's historic Kamigo engine plant. Harada led the maintenance activities that created the stability needed for Taiichi Ohno's innovations in the Toyota Production System. Each type of problem category requires different thought processes, improvement methods, and management cadences. Each type has its own sub-system and surfacing mechanism, management cadence, timing, and difficulty level, he explained. One size does not fit all situations and just training people in tools or techniques only scratches the surface of problem solving.

Four Types of Problems

Lean Enterprise Institute

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Books by Art Smalley