ABSTRACT
The structure of the A3 sheet is such that it provides a brilliant approach to PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) management. PDCA is Deming’s approach to problem solving (see Chapter 33). The A3 report actually provides an approach to problem solving and creates a story line of the way a problem has been resolved. Figure 34.1 shows the template for problem solving. The sequence of problem solving should be according to the numbering of the steps (see Figure 34.1). The seven steps of the A3 report follow a PDCA approach; this is summarized in Table 34.1. As you can see, steps 1, 2, 3, and 4 comprise 50% of the A3 sheet. This shows the importance of planning in problem solving. An important thing to learn here is that we need to spend a lot of time understating the current state before getting into implementation. It also acts as a visual tool wherein the problem details are scripted and the members become involved in giving inputs to solve it.
