Digging into Problems with A3
A3 Problem Solving has been a part of the toolkit for many Lean practitioners since the early 1980s. It got its start as part of a program for Gemba managers involved with knowledge work, and that effort came to be called the “Kanri Nouryoku Program“ (or “Kan-Pro”). Ultimately A3 proved to be a central component of Kan-Pro.
One of the most compelling aspects of A3 Problem Solving is the concise, one-page report (the A3 Report) that is central to usage of the technique. And as a matter of fact, fitting this report on a single page says it all— because A3 is a common paper size in Europe. (In the United States, the analogous paper size is 11 x 17 inches.). Another thing that many people find appealing is that the A3 Report itself has a standard format, which makes it easy for the trained eye to find information of interest.
Note: For examples of other Lean tools, see my earlier blog post Lean Tools for Problem-Solving and Decision-Making.
What is Lean Thinking?
The notion of focusing on processes that create the most value, and eliminating those that create waste, has long been central to Lean thinking. A3 Problem Solving has the additional advantage that it makes the problem solving process transparent and visible. Over time, as more people have come to recognize that Lean values, principles, and practices can be helpful in an Agile context, approaches that are part of a Lean Toolkit, such as A3, have become better known.
To use an analogy, suppose that an organization lacks a process for sharing information about organizational strategy and tactics, and areas for potential improvement. What A3 Problem Solving can help with is moving from the problem to the solution, depicting the process via words, pictures, and diagrams, to help get from the current state to a desired future state.
In summary, by revealing the thought process via A3, two things tend to happen:
- An organization can reach agreement more quickly about the desired future state; disagreements about recommended actions often are in reality disagreements about assumptions related to the current reality and target condition. If you can’t make your assumptions visible, then they can’t be discussed.
- Making the thought process visible also opens up coaching options. If someone simply said “we failed to achieve the desired outcome during such-and-such meeting,” it’s difficult for a coach/facilitator to know why, without visibility into the thought process.
When is A3 A Good Fit?
A3 is best applied in situations where people are open to exploring multiple problem-solving options. If the problem-solving options are narrow and controlled, then opening up and exploring the thought process and assumptions associated with the problem is less productive. A3 can be used for more tactical problems, from something like “how did <issue/error/bug> get introduced into <application/service>?,” to addressing more strategic challenges, such as delving into the reasons behind a company’s market share dropping.
A3 has even been used as a continuous improvement mechanism at the individual level. Let’s say an employee made a mistake that resulted in some kind of production outage or other significant problem — A3 can be used to work with the person(s) to think through what happened and figure out how to do better next time. That is, “counseling A3” shifts the emphasis away from blame, toward process improvement and learning.
A3 can also work well with other techniques, such as fishbone diagrams (aka Ishikawa Diagrams). The table below can provide general guidance on when A3 is likely to be a good choice.
A3 Anti-Patterns
The following things should be avoided:
Thinking of A3 as a form, rather than as a problem solving tool
To be sure, there is some appeal to having a standard report format, but the focus should not be on the form. If you simply view the form as a template, it’s easy to regress into solving problems in much the same way that you have in the past, and essentially just push those outcomes into the template.
Thinking of A3 as a linear process that has to be followed to the letter
It’s important to be willing to reassess the work as the conversation progresses; for instance, you shouldn’t be afraid of changing your original problem statement as the conversation progresses.
A3 Problem Solving In-Depth
Problem solving is a skill that it’s easy to take for granted, since it can surface as a sub-conscious process that often kicks in with little effort. However, it’s important to point out that humans tend to learn how to solve problems through a process of trial and error, and eventually, to treat any problem solving approach that has worked, even if only some of the time, as a form of tacit knowledge — as something that is taken for granted as being true. A challenge with tacit knowledge, in any form, is the tendency to not reexamine it often enough. Thus it becomes difficult to improve if and when actions are taken based on a particular set of long-held assumptions.
What A3 does is provide a simple construct that helps question basic assumptions and leverage the wisdom of a group to first align on what problem needs solving, ultimately arriving at a set of actionable steps. Thus the thought process looks something like this:
- What is the problem to be solved?
- What needs to be learned to solve it?
- What does “good enough” look like?
- What actions will lead to the desired state, and what evidence will show that the desired state has been attained?
There is the potential to realize significant benefits by agreeing to streamline and simplify the approach an organization takes to problem-solving. Part of the power of A3 is the nature of the output from it — where all of the essential, need-to-know information is shared in a format that is easy to parse and to disseminate to others.
The core of A3 comes down to following a though process that flows through these quadrants:
- Problem Statement
- Current Condition
- Target Condition
- Action (Steps, Schedules, Measures)
Quadrant I: Problem Statement
It would be an understatement to say that there is huge potential value in using a problem-solving approach that is reasonably consistent, which is easy for any member of a team to apply in their own context. And, thanks to its flexibility, A3 is essentially a container for problem-solving efforts, rather than being a prescriptive method. That is, the starting point for A3 is to treat it as a learning tool, where the learning process begins with the problem statement.
Consider the potential impact if, because of a different understanding of a problem, one or more people go off on different trajectories that reflect their differing understanding. Even if they are only off by 5 degrees (to use a geometry metaphor), as time goes by, they get further and further apart. Thus it is the problem statement that establishes their trajectory, and it’s important for everyone to set off in the same direction.
To help get off to a good start, it is important to write the words down, whether in virtual or physical form, to generate conversation. And, it’s also important that participants be willing to change the problem statement to reflect new information as the conversation continues.
Doing something as simple as checking in with a question such as “do we have the right problem statement?” at various times during the conversation can be helpful.
Beginning a problem statement can start with a simple construct like this:
Quadrant II: Current Reality
It is a reality in just about every organization that there is insufficient understanding of its own current context. Max DePree, the former CEO of Herman Miller Inc., put it this way: “the first responsibility of a leader is to define current reality.”
As a case in point, consider various surveys that organizations use. There is a tendency to be overly generous in terms of where organizational performance falls, relative to a baseline. It’s all too easy to find the positive in everything, and that can be important, it’s less helpful when it comes to realistically evaluating the reality on the ground at any moment in time.
Many organizations embark on one form or another of organizational improvement, without first taking the time to make sure they understand their current state. If an organization embarks on an improvement journey with insufficient insight into where it is now, a couple of things tend to happen:
- Repetition of the same mistakes (or at least variations on the same mistakes) — which makes learning and continuous improvement feel both difficult and expensive
- Getting rid of some existing practices which may actually be working reasonably well. If understanding is lacking about what’s working, and more importantly, why it’s working, regression toward the mean tends to happen, even with the best of intentions.
Becoming a Learning Organization
A key aspect that might not be obvious as part of Quadrant II, Current State, is how important it is to drive both learning and knowledge. Lean businesses focus on generating new knowledge into how things actually work. A3 can help an organization arrive at an understanding about the “what” and the “how” by considering questions such as these:
- What do I need to learn about?
- What method can I use to learn?
- Why bother?
To be clear, if all that is needed is to execute on what is already known to be true, A3 is not likely to make much of a difference. However, most organizations tend to live with levels of uncertainty about their own business processes that are much higher than they are prepared to acknowledge. To close those gaps in understanding, new knowledge and insight are required.
It is common for this section of an A3 to be populated with data, stories, pictures and anything else that helps explain the current condition. It should explain why the organization sees certain results, and point in the direction of where to focus to make the changes.
Quadrant III: Target Condition
A target condition is, quite simply, what is to be achieved — something that is tangible, which can be described. It is more than just a statement of a desired result; it informs how things need to work differently, and how to see the difference.
If we were writing a target condition for a problem statement that “the lines are too long when people enter our store,” the target might be something like “a customer is engaged by an associate within 15 seconds of entering the door.”
Thus the target condition describes what needs to be seen, felt or experienced; it provides insight into what “good enough” looks like. Many people prefer visuals, and the target vector below helps illustrate the thought process behind articulating a target condition.
To address the problem to be solved, it’s necessary to move to a new target position. Once there is a shared understanding of where the organization wants to be, it’s important to spend time under the target condition. To do that, it’s necessary to create and communicate what “good” looks like. It’s at that point that it becomes possible to articulate the solution steps.
Quadrant IV: Action
And now, where the rubber really meets the road — articulating an action plan. Turning ideas and conversations into crisp, focused action plans is something every organization needs to be able to do.
Assuming that the preceding steps have gotten to the heart of the current reality and target condition, that thought process drives actions. And along with that, it’s important to look at specific barriers which can potentially the organization from achieving the target condition. If it’s not clear what the barriers are and how to overcome them, any achievement of the target condition will be temporary at best. As an analogy, consider how many times you might have walked out of a meeting, expecting a certain set of actions based on what you (perceived to be) agreement among those who were present, only to observe that the actions being taken differed from what you were expecting.
A good place from which to ground the conversation regarding the action plan is to start with Who? What? When? That is, ask “Who is going to do what by when?”
The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which is popular in Lean circles, is a helpful way to ensure that organizations check in periodically on how they are progressing against any plans, and course correct as necessary.
Filling in a simple matrix like this is often sufficient:
A3 Report Examples
Below are a couple of examples of A3 Reports.
