The A3 Report

“Curmudge, conventional wisdom says that people don’t read anymore.”

“I hope it’s not that bad, Jaded Julie, but I agree that people are very selective about what they read. They rarely read deeply enough to become well informed or to broaden their education. Mrs. Curmudgeon reads the comics and checks up on our friends in the obituaries.”

“If it’s not on the TV or in the sports pages, my husband never sees it. Information is filtered, spun, and condensed into 30-second sound bites. These days, a Renaissance man (or woman) is someone who takes the time to look up something in Google. Come to think of it, that sounds like you, Curmudge. But why are we talking about this? What do people’s reading habits have to do with Lean?”

“Julie, as Lean proponents we must be effective communicators. Our Lean communications must fit the attention span of a 21st century person, and the best way to do that is to use A3 reports.”

“At this point I feel obligated to ask, ‘What is an A3 report?’”

“Thank you for asking; I knew you would. Physically, an A3 report is an 11-inch by 17-inch sheet of paper viewed with its long axis horizontal. The term, A3, refers to paper of the designated size, which would be about 30 cm X 42 cm outside of the U.S. An A3 report—all on one sheet of paper—is most commonly used in a process called ‘A3 Problem Solving’ in which the report depicts the problem, what is known about it, and how it might be solved. Key elements of the process and of the report include:
· Issue
· Background and current condition
· Problem analysis
· Target condition
· Countermeasures
· Implementation plan, including cost/benefit analysis
· Test of implementation plan
· Follow-up”

“You mean that the whole caboodle is on a single sheet of paper, right up there for everyone to see? That’s visual communication to the max. Who but the Japanese could have thought of that? I assume, Curmudge, that like much of Lean this A3 stuff originated with the Toyota Motor Corporation.”

“That’s where the application of A3 reports in problem solving began. However, most of us don’t realize that the principal concept and greatest attribute of an A3 report, simplicity, is much older than Toyota. A 14th century Franciscan friar, William of Ockham, stated that ‘entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.’ This statement, meaning that one should cut away all that is not necessary, became known as ‘Ockham’s razor.’ (We credit Group 8020’s blog for the history lesson.)”

“I’ve got it, Curmudge! The modern translation of Ockham’s razor is KISS (keep it simple, Stupid). Something simple, like an A3 report, is the best way to communicate with 21st century readers who won’t read long documents.”

“Your perspicacity continues to amaze me. Now that we have laid the groundwork, in our next conversation we’ll probe more deeply into A3 Problem Solving.”

“I look forward to it, Curmudge, but remember to KISS.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon