The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind

The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind

by Daniel D. Matthews


Productivity Press | 2010-10-05 | 183 pages | PDF

Encouraging efficiency, clarity, and disciplined thinking, A3 Problem Solving identifies a problem, describes the objective, and summarizes fact finding and action steps, all on a single A3-sized piece of paper. This approach provides all employees at all levels with a method to quickly identify a problem, analyze it to root cause, select appropriate countermeasures, and communicate necessary actions to decision makers.

The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind is designed to teach A3 Problem Solving to workers at every level of an organization. Uniquely qualified to author this workbook, Daniel Matthews is an expert trainer with 30 years of training experience including Lean implementation and Training within Industry (TWI). Fourteen of those years he spent with the Toyota Company, which created and made use of the A3 as a core component of continuous quality improvement.

This workbook provides a practical tool for solving specific problems or for making a specific proposal, while also encouraging the development of a corporate culture that empowers all employees to support continuous improvement. The workbook follows the progression of a basic A3 Problem Solving format, offering instructions every step of the way. To reinforce learning, it includes —

Case studies that readers can use to complete A3s

Tips on how to improve the readability of A3s

Examples of Problem Solving A3s, and a Proposal A3

Exercises to reinforce what’s learned

Worksheet templates that can be reproduced for future problem solving

An effective problem-solving process is a critical part of implementing efficient business practices and a problem-solving culture is a fundamental component of empowering employees to support business improvements. Both of these components, taken together, can help any organization make continuous improvements on the long journey to creating a more productive and profitable business.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Overview

Chapter 3 Problem Situation

Chapter 4 Target

Chapter 5 Theme

Chapter 6 Loud-&-Clear Speaker

Chapter 7 Cause Analysis

Chapter 8 Countermeasures

Chapter 9 Implementation

Chapter 10 Follow-up

Chapter 11 Putting It All Together

Chapter 12 Improve Your A3's Effectiveness
The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind
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