Synopsis:
A-3 Thinking is a management process. Its adoption standardizes a methodology for innovating, planning, problem solving, and building foundational structures for sharing a broader and deeper form of thinking. This produces organizational learning that is deeply rooted in work itself--operational learning. It forces individuals to observe reality, present facts, propose working countermeasures, and is designed to achieve the stated goals, gain agreement, and follow up, with a process of checking and adjusting for actual results. A3 Thinking represents a powerful tool for problem solving, making improvements, and getting things done.
A-3 is the international size (11” x 17”) sheet of paper that is used to write the report. The A-3 report is a one page document that is written on one side. The thinking behind the A-3 report is a thorough understanding of the Deming (PDCA) cycle: Plan-Do-Check-Act.