A3 methodology, which emanated originally from the Toyota work practices, is a powerful tool for small and medium sized industries too. It is a meaningful, manageable, and team-oriented storyboard and that's what makes it effective. Often, to keep it practicable for the staff and operators who are not familiar with the process, it cannot be embraced with the fullest detail that a Hoshin Kanri expert would normally use with the exhaustive A3-X chart methodology. However, for SMEs, there are some very simple ways to use A3 with small and relatively less trained, or even untrained, teams. One may or may not wish to use all the recommendations given below, but even a few of these, when used judiciously benefit the project immensely from the sheer control established through the A3 methodology.
Before using A3
Any methodology based on teamwork requires agreement and alignment for using it. A3 is no exception. Furthermore, when the practice requires teamwork, it has an innate demand of simplicity so that all the team members understand the intent and the process reasonably well and uniformly at that.
Therefore, it is important that the team has an agreement on using A3 methodology with the basic understanding that:
A3 will be used for overall steering (i.e., agreement on basic intent)
It will be meticulously referred, suitably displayed and adhered to (i.e., agreement on discipline)
It will be improvised as required while sticking to the core intent (i.e., agreement on flexibility)
1. Ensure each A3 is an unbroken nugget
There is no room for "To be continued" from the earlier page to the next page in an effective and well-built A3. Each A3 needs to be a storyboard of some kind. Either a future story of the ambition such as a "Project Charter" or a story from the past such as a "Case study or an investigation report". It is desirable to use multiple A3s for a variety of scopes and purposes.
But the very reason why A3 as a size has been so useful in lean is that it makes the task on hand manageable. A3 is an optimum size. The analogy that comes to my mind for A3s is that of Google Maps which can be zoomed in or zoomed out as one wants. But at a time there is one view for the "wood for the trees" or the "trees for the wood". In other words, one uses A3 to see "the bigger picture for the detail on hand" or "the detail for the summary view on hand". A3 provides both. A2 is too big to refer quickly in a meeting and A4 too small to display on the daily staff notice board to the working team.
Each A3 template when filled in must give one story, only one story, full story and not a part-story. It is as much an art as a technique or science.
2. Make it visual and share it
A3 needs to be a visual aid. A few words telling the entire story. A few graphs and pictures showing the trends - good or bad - but the trends that inspire action. A3 is also used well for "Before" and "After" photos.
Artistic and creative use of colours, pictures, graphs, concise descriptions, titles, numbers, even emoticons and symbols - all can make A3 increasingly effective. Needless to mention that mere visibility does not make something "visual". A traffic-light is much more effective in controlling the traffic than a road-code because it is visual. A visual aid evokes spontaneous reaction from the observer. A foot almost involuntarily goes to the brake-pedal or an accelerator while driving because the traffic-lights are that effective in being a visual aid for the driver.
The more one makes A3 visually effective, the more it can be shared effectively. Sharing an A3 is vital for the team working on the initiative. An A3 that is visual and shared or displayed via noticeboards is a perfect steering aid for the facilitators and leaders driving the project.
3. Orient the template
Orient the template with a manageable number of cues. Preferably two axes. I always prefer "Current State" and "Future State" as column headings and often attach the third column as "Briding Actions". I also prefer labelling the rows as very a broad generalized set of cues - normally people, processes, products and technology. This can be machines, materials, measurement, method and manpower too. One can creatively determine what the row headings or column headings would best suit them, but the number of headings must be manageable for both columns and rows. Gauging this in advance and improvising as the initiative progresses is the art of steering.
4. Divergent thinking first, then convergent
It is a well-known golden rule that divergent thinking should not be mixed with convergent thinking because these two use different parts of human brain. It is particularly helpful when a team using A3 methodology is likely to start getting into bouts of evaluation spontaneously while idea generation is in progress. It is best to dump all the thoughts emerging out of brainstorming first and then the data, comments, observations, actions required.
Ineffectiveness increases further if there are dominant personalities or people with aggressive behaviour jumping to evaluation now and then. It is a very routine impulse in mind for almost everyone to pass a judgment or evaluate any idea as good-bad, possible-impossible etc. The more does the team practice not to disturb free-flowing thoughts or brainstorming by doing it, the more is the effectiveness of brainstorming or idea generation required during the preparation phase of an A3.
Noting some rare idea during evaluation is generally not as damaging as slipping inadvertently into judging and evaluation during the phase of preparatory brainstorming. The latter can be damaging and may lead to severe under-preparation of A3 potentially weakening the whole project at the outset itself.
5. Continuously improve the continuous improvement
Lastly the famous principle advocated by Stephen Covey applies. Continuous improvement applies to continuous improvement system too. Sharpen the saw. It is important to keep reviewing the A3s. The most important questions to ask at every stage are - for example: Are actions emerging with the help of A3 and are they being implemented? Are there actions that were inspired by what was discussed and documented with the help of A3? Are results trending in the right direction? Was something missed? Were risks and rewards in all four dimensions i.e. People - Process - Products and Technology correctly realised? Does it all make sense? Such introspection not only prevents deterioration or untimely stoppages or disruptions but also reveals unforeseen opportunities.
Important - a word of caution
Any tool or aid such as A3 only helps the team or people using it. Such tools make the job easier provided the technicians have the requisite skills. A3 is no replacement for critical analysis and thinking. I distinctly recall A3 system being futile when critical thinking was missing or inadequate. "Power consumption before and after - month on month reduction 23% for consecutive 3 months" can be a rosy announcement depicted on an A3 and celebrated too, when it may actually be "just a routine annual seasonality" that someone is not aware of! "Aluminium casting thickness reduced by 2.8 mm leading to metal savings of 27%" as calculated by a new designer (just a fictitious example - nothing against any designer!) may actually have caused 36% more material cost and another few thousands of dollars in die modification because the yield of castings may have come down because of larger number of broken castings in supplier's manufacturing process to whom the user is supplying the raw metal! There is no substitute for big picture thinking. There is no substitute for critical thinking. There is no substitute for cross-functional teamwork with a sense of humility.
As I mentioned in one of the earlier blogposts, George Bernard Shaw once said, "Make a system which even a fool can use, and only a fool will want to use it."
When used wisely, with a manageable degree of complexity, A3 can do wonders.
- Nilesh Pandit