Project A3 Report
Solving business problems on one page
The Project A3 Report provides teams with a structured problem-solving approach that was created as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Although the tool was developed as part of Toyota’s lean manufacturing process, the A3 Report is now used across various industries as part of countless organizations’ continuous improvement programs.
The A3 tool gets its name from its paper size (11X17). At the time the tool was developed, information was commonly shared using a fax machine, and the A3 was the largest piece of paper that could be faxed. The A3 tool seeks to solve a problem on a single sheet of paper – allowing a team to organize and document their thoughts in one place where an in-depth review of the problem can occur to help identify and implement a solution.
The Project A3 Report template is used to help guide individuals and project teams through the problem-solving process by asking the basic improvement questions. At the Green Dot Consulting Group we like to use a 6 box A3 that helps to:
- Define the problem
- Create a clear goal
- Determine root cause
- Identify and prioritize ideas for improvement
- Implement ideas for improvement
- Measure results and sustain/spread the change
It is important to understand that all change and all projects start with a problem. A problem is a “gap” between where we are today and our goal. In other words, a measurable difference exists between what is actually happening and what should be happening.
The A3 helps teams navigate defining the “gap” that exists while challenging the team to develop and implement solutions to close the “gap”. To learn more about using the A3 to solve problems, please refer to the summary video provided.
If you are ready to begin utilizing the A3 template to solve internal business problems, please utilize the template provided below.
Download the Free "Project A3 Report" Template (PDF)
Purchase the template to customize for your own organization
All of our tools and templates are available in Word or PowerPoint format to allow organizations to purchase and customize the templates to their brand standards.
A3 Thinking provides a framework for helping individuals and teams to solve problems by asking simple exploratory questions to help understand the problem prior to trying to solve it. Once the problem has been defined, the A3 guides the team through prioritizing and testing ideas for improvement in order to impact change.
If you would like to grow your knowledge of A3 Thinking, please consider attending our A3 Thinking Certification course.
A3 Thinking is a mindset, adopted by members of an organization to create a culture of improvement, grounded in collaboration, experimentation, learning, and best practice sharing. A3 is also a structured problem-solving approach that individuals or improvement teams can apply to help address challenging problems. Lastly, A3 is a visual tool that allows individuals and teams to share important information about improvement efforts (either as a progress report or a method for capturing ideas).
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