5's i Toyota

The Toyota A3 Report

Most problems are dealt with in superficial ways.  Very few people and organizations actually arrive at the root cause of their problems.  At Toyota, they employ Root Causeanalysis in almost everything they do.  One problem solving approach they employ is the A3 Process.
A3 is a paper size, typically 11″ x 17″.  There are actually several A3-type paper sizes, and Toyotabelieves that when you structure your problem solving around 1 page of paper, then your thinking is focused and structured.
Below are the steps of the A3 process, followed by a real-world example ofan A3 collaborative problem solving that I was a part of while I spent a short time at Toyota.  The steps below are taken from Dr. Durward Sobek‘s very informative site:

Identify Problem or NeedWhenever the way work happens is not ideal, or when a goal or objective is not being met, you have a problem (or, if you prefer, a need). The best problems to work on are those that arise in day-to-daywork and prevent you from doing your best.

Understand Current Situation
Before a problem can be properly addressed, one must have a firm grasp of the current situation. To do this, Toyotasuggests that problem-solvers:
* Observe the work process first hand, and document observations
* Create a diagram that shows how the work is done – a value stream map will be helpful here.
*Quantify the magnitude of the problem (e.g., % of customer deliveries that are late, # of stock outs in a month, # of errors reported per quarter, % of work time that is value-added); if possible,represent the data graphically.

Root Cause Analysis
Once you have a good understanding of how the process (i.e., the one that needs to be fixed) currently works, it’s time to figure out what theroot causes are to the errors or inefficiency. To accomplish this, first make a list of the main problem(s). Next, ask the appropriate “why?” questions until you reach the root cause. A good...