A3 Problem Solving and Methodology

Fighting the symptoms of a problem is only a short-term solution in which the same problem could reappear, what is needed is the root cause of the problem and in discovering the root cause, recurring problems can be solved permanently and work processes protected. This is the reason we have A3.

The A3 report contains 7 steps that we will briefly define:

· Background – clarification of the problem briefly described, the starting point.

· Current State – Description of the area where the problem arises, other processes that work in conjunction with the problem area needs to be mapped in order to see the bigger picture and find the root cause.

· Goals – This is an iterative step as the bigger picture might not be present yet so therefore initial goals need revisiting

· Root Cause Analysis - Extremely important step in the A3 process which different tools are needed to figure it out. This will be better explained below.

· Countermeasures – Solutions to the root cause and also the feedback loop back to goals. This should state how the goals will be achieved.

· Implementation Plan – This can be tied in with countermeasures as it is steps that will be taken to achieve the desired outcome based on the countermeasures.

· Effect Confirmation & Follow up – This is to use the actual results of the implemented solution in order to confirm the effects of the countermeasures. The follow up allows us to continuously employ new iterations in order to improve the process.