1. Manufacturing Elevated Theresa Drulard
UUMEP
Manufacturing Elevated
Theresa Drulard

2. A3 Report
Roadmap for change

3. A3, Roadmap, Storyboard… What is an A3 Report? Why? Templates Examples
Solve problems together
Build Problem Solving Skills
Shared Vision
Templates
Examples
Agenda. Call this summary any thing you like, some organizations call it an A3, some call it a roadmap, some a storyboard….

4. A3 Report defined
A Toyota-pioneered practice of getting the problem, the analysis, the corrective actions, and the action plan down on a single sheet of large (A3) paper, often with the use of graphics. At Toyota, A3 reports have evolved into a standard method for summarizing problem-solving exercises, status reports, and planning exercises like value-stream mapping.
A3 paper is the international term for paper 297 millimeters wide and 420 millimeters long. The closest U.S. paper size is the 11-by-17 inch tabloid sheet.
From the Lean Lexicon 5th Edition on

5. Problem-Solving Template
The A3 Problem Solving template lays out an entire plan, large or small, on one sheet of paper.
It should be visual and extremely concise.
It should tell a story, laid out from upper left-hand side to lower right, which anyone can understand.
What is important is not the format, but the process and thinking behind it.
It fosters dialogue.
It develops problem solvers.

6. Why A3? Build Problem-Solving Skills
Question, Coach & Teach
Move from “command-control” or “laissez-faire” disengagement style to responsibility sharing, i.e. “tell me what you’re thinking, tell me about your plans”. Creating an A3 invites dialogue and questions and provides an opportunity to coach employees.

7. Why A3? People as Problem-Solvers
Understand the messy details
Find the problems
Respond to the problems
Understand the process and the problems associated with it. Determine root cause and use Plan-Do-Check-Act. Problems always exist; A3’s are a tool to finding and solving them in a structured way – and then organizing them in a way that’s easy to share.

8. Why A3? Solve Problems Together
Shift from a debate about who owns what (an authority- focused debate) to a dialogue around what is the right thing to do (a responsibility-focused conversation).
Most organizations are cross-functional in operation while being functional (silos) in structure. This results in a matrix that often leaves ownership unclear, decision-making stymied, and everyone frustrated. A3’s create a story that invites everyone to participate in finding solutions.

9. “Having no problem is the biggest problem of all” - Taiichi Ohno
Getting the team/organization to recognize the problem or “grasp the situation” is often an additional goal of an A3.

10. Why A3? Shared Vision
When the issue is described on a single sheet of paper it enables everyone touching the issue to see through the same lens.
Simplicity in being constrained to one sheet of paper. Everyone has a common understanding of the issue and the plan to fix it.

11. Project/Process Title
Team
Project/Process Title
Current date
Leader: B. Bedder
Managers: Person Name
Members: Others on team
Facilitators: B. Patient
PLAN (Future State):
Theme:
Problem statement or Goal
Show the plan for the future. What will it look like when you’ve reached the goal or solved the problem? Try to use pictures or graphics.
DO:
Current Condition:
What specific actions will you take to support your plan?
Who owns the action?
When will it be completed?
BACKGROUND:
Tell the story: relevant information and facts about this process, problem or project. Use lots of details and be as brief as possible.
Include any attempts at problem solving, root cause analysis, improvements and their outcomes.
CHECK:
Metrics or data that demonstrate how the actions are supporting (or not) the PLAN. These should be relevant and easy to understand. Again, graphics help you say a lot in a small space.
Template. This can look much different – but always contains the categories of information shown here.
ACT:
What will you do next?
If your “check” shows your actions are supporting your plan?
3) IF your “Check” shows your actions aren’t helping you reach your goals?
4) Is there something else you need to do because of what you see in your data?

12. A3 Questions What is the problem or issue? Who owns the problem?
What is the root cause of the problem?
What are some possible countermeasures?
How will you decide which countermeasures to propose?
How will you get agreement from everyone concerned?
What is your implementation plan – who, what, when, where, how?
How will you know if your countermeasures work?
What follow up issues can you anticipate? What problems may occur during implementation?
How will you capture and feed back the learning?

13. PDCA

14. VSM Financial Services PLAN (Future State): Theme: Current Condition:
Team
Financial Services
April 21, 2008
Leader: B. Bedder
Managers: Person Name
Members: Others on team
Facilitators: B. Patient
PLAN (Future State):
Theme:
Reduce process times for financial services
Eliminate OT
VSM
Re-design Form to reduce incoming errors to 3%
Reduce process time (rework) by 17%
Current Condition:
Reduce wip errors 5%
BACKGROUND:
Prior to analysis:
10 FTE, 56,000 requests processed /month
Meet 2-day SLA with OT (10 hours/wk avg)
Work typically received via interoffice mail
Manual tracking and communication (excel)
Data input to two excel worksheets
Multiple systems: Base24, EE, Xnet, Deposit System as well as desktop apps
Wastes – sorting, wait, transportation, defects.
Defects – 20% incoming errors, 7% wip errors, 2% escape errors
Process Time – longest times are in reviewing the Xnet reports and comparing against incoming data. Also, contacting the branch, but this varies.
High turnover rate – job is boring
Improvements
Electronic Xnet report (saves 5min/day)
Eliminate waiting for it to be delivered
Store it electronically in a shared folder instead of Troy’s filing cabinet.
DO:
Track activities being done during OT
Lisa Marie
Daily for 4 wks
2. Hold meeting with affiliates on Form Redesign
What do they like about the form now?
Identify most common errors
Brainstorm possible changes
Bob Barker
05/04/08
Analyze wip errors & “escapes” for error type
Joe Schmoe
04/28/08
4. Complete VSM
Betty & team
05/15/08
This process ensures compliance to federally mandated requirements. Inputs are copies of the hold notice, check and deposit slip. They verify that the system information and documentation match, that branches are in compliance and they also manage retention of documentation (24 months).
ACT:
CHECK:
Train on codes, Betty, 05/20/08
Only permit 3 codes in EE, Tom, 06/15/08
3) Don’t permit skipped (blank) field, Tom, 06/15/08
4) Final approval of new form, Harris, 06/10/08
New design!

16. Background Recommendations Current Situation Plan What’s the problem?
Title: What you are talking about.
Background
Recommendations
Why are you talking about it?
What is your proposed countermeasure(s)?
Current Situation
Where do we stand?
Plan
What’s the problem?
Goal
Where we need to be?
What is the specific change you want to accomplish now?
What activities will be required for implementation and who will be responsible for what and when?
Analysis
-What is the root cause(s) of the problem? -
Follow - up
How we will know if the actions have the impact needed? What remaining issues can be anticipated?
Verble/Shook
john shook

17. Title: What you are talking about initials Owner
Background
Proposed Countermeasure(s)
Why you are talking about it.
- What is the business reason for choosing this issue?
Your proposal to reach the future state, the target condition.
- What alternatives could be considered?
- How will you choose among the options? What decision criteria?
How your recommended countermeasures will impact the root cause to change the current situation and achieve the target.
Current Conditions
Where things stand today.
- What’s the problem with that, with where we stand?
- What is the actual symptom that the business feels that requires action?
Show visually – pareto charts, graphs, drawings, maps, etc.
Plan
A Gantt chart or facsimile that shows actions/outcomes, timeline and responsibilities. May include details on the specific means of implementation.
- Who will do what, when and how?
Indicators of performance, of progress.
- How will we know if the actions have the impact needed?
- What are the critical few, visual, most natural measures?
Target/Goal(s)
The specific outcome required for the business.
- What is the specific change you want to accomplish now.?
- How will you measure success?
Analysis
The root cause(s) of the problem.
- Why are we experiencing the symptom?
- What constraints prevent us from the goal?
Choose the simplest problem-solving tool for this issue:
- Five whys
- Fishbone
- QC Tools
- SPC, Six Sigma, Shainen, Kepner Traego, others…
Followup
Remaining issues that can be anticipated.
- Any failure modes to watch out for? Any unintended consequences?
Ensure ongoing P-D-C-A. Yokoten as needed.
john shook

18. Title Reason for choosing issue: Analysis Current Conditions
Name:
Coach:
Reason for choosing issue:
Brief
One or two bullets
Analysis
Visual
Charts
QC Tools
Fishbone
5 Whys
Current Conditions
Summary
Visual
Map?
Pareto?
Problem Statement –
what’s the actual pain/symptom being felt? Just the facts
Countermeasure Options
1) ??
2) ???
Evaluation of Options
Criteria 2)
Goal/Target Condition
Brief
One or two bullets

19. A3 Resources
“Managing to Learn: Using the A3 management process” by John Shook
Understanding A3 Thinking: A critical component of Toyota’s PDCA Management System by Sobek & Smalley
Google: “A3 examples” or “filetype: PDF A3”