A3 Thinking, and I am contemplating including VSM, is the Toyota story board for documenting problem solving. And I do want to stress documenting. The real context of the A3 and VSM is to Gemba, to involve the stakeholders, so a satisfactory ending to the story can be accepted and supported by all.
When you do not understand something you spend time trying to understand. However, when forms are used some people seem to get bogged down on the mechanics of using the form rather than the intent of problem solving (including myself). Probably because at the end of the day you want to document your findings in a format others can understand, sometimes thinking this is the only important thing. However, for A3 and VSM you need to keep reminding yourself you are uncovering and telling / painting a story for others to follow. It does not matter if you change technique between stories, as long as the individual story is understood by all.
And I will now add, it is not about paper size when we are talking about A3 thinking. However, I do agree a 1-page document does force you to be concise. And it just so happened that A3 paper, close in size to the 11x17", was the size that was practical for electronic transmittal at the time Toyota started all of this.
A3 and VSM requires you to be a sleuth, investigator, probing and asking why, getting others involved to provide bits of information. These bits by themselves do not mean anything, however when put together they tell the true story of what happens(ed). Knowing the details addresses true root cause. Not knowing the details is jumping to conclusions. What is needed is a learning experience for all through involvement at some level. This gained tribal knowledge then keeps the continual improvement wheel turning.
Do not expect to get an A3 or VSM right the first time. It should and will take several rewrites. Though I have not produced many A3's, I can speak of my process development experience where I had up to 23 revisions in my process project for one flow chart. I do not expect an A3 or VSM to be revised or rewritten so many times, however I am open to the opportunity.
Ownership is very clear in an A3. The person working the A3 is the responsible party, no matter what their rank is within the company. This holds the responsibility with a single source, rather than leaving it unclear or a result of groupthink. The owner follows and learns the PDSA cycle (Deming Cycle or PDCA if you still prefer). The owner learns the true value of A3 and VSM; Gemba – the real place, or Genchi Genbutsu – Go see the problem. This is the belief that practical experience is valued over theoretical knowledge. You must see the problem to know the problem.
A3 and VSM are about the research and uncovering all that can be uncovered, and to develop a reasonable countermeasure to improve the situation1. It is not about the format and fitting information into pigeon holes. As with anything involving change, this will be a struggle. The goal should be to use constant effort to embrace change, making it easier to do A3’s as you move forward.
As I had been VSM trained, and now realize it was with intent, I am not going to go through how to use the forms. You need to go beyond the forms first, learn for yourself, become a different person for yourself. You need to do the hard work of Gemba, Genchi Genbutsu. It will become a form of enlightenment, freeing you of the burdensome day-to-day status quo culture and toward kaizen.
For the best information on A3 thinking read the book "Managing to Learn".
1. John Shook, Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process (Cambridge, MA: The Lean Institute, 2008), 2.
When you do not understand something you spend time trying to understand. However, when forms are used some people seem to get bogged down on the mechanics of using the form rather than the intent of problem solving (including myself). Probably because at the end of the day you want to document your findings in a format others can understand, sometimes thinking this is the only important thing. However, for A3 and VSM you need to keep reminding yourself you are uncovering and telling / painting a story for others to follow. It does not matter if you change technique between stories, as long as the individual story is understood by all.
And I will now add, it is not about paper size when we are talking about A3 thinking. However, I do agree a 1-page document does force you to be concise. And it just so happened that A3 paper, close in size to the 11x17", was the size that was practical for electronic transmittal at the time Toyota started all of this.
A3 and VSM requires you to be a sleuth, investigator, probing and asking why, getting others involved to provide bits of information. These bits by themselves do not mean anything, however when put together they tell the true story of what happens(ed). Knowing the details addresses true root cause. Not knowing the details is jumping to conclusions. What is needed is a learning experience for all through involvement at some level. This gained tribal knowledge then keeps the continual improvement wheel turning.
Do not expect to get an A3 or VSM right the first time. It should and will take several rewrites. Though I have not produced many A3's, I can speak of my process development experience where I had up to 23 revisions in my process project for one flow chart. I do not expect an A3 or VSM to be revised or rewritten so many times, however I am open to the opportunity.
Ownership is very clear in an A3. The person working the A3 is the responsible party, no matter what their rank is within the company. This holds the responsibility with a single source, rather than leaving it unclear or a result of groupthink. The owner follows and learns the PDSA cycle (Deming Cycle or PDCA if you still prefer). The owner learns the true value of A3 and VSM; Gemba – the real place, or Genchi Genbutsu – Go see the problem. This is the belief that practical experience is valued over theoretical knowledge. You must see the problem to know the problem.
A3 and VSM are about the research and uncovering all that can be uncovered, and to develop a reasonable countermeasure to improve the situation1. It is not about the format and fitting information into pigeon holes. As with anything involving change, this will be a struggle. The goal should be to use constant effort to embrace change, making it easier to do A3’s as you move forward.
As I had been VSM trained, and now realize it was with intent, I am not going to go through how to use the forms. You need to go beyond the forms first, learn for yourself, become a different person for yourself. You need to do the hard work of Gemba, Genchi Genbutsu. It will become a form of enlightenment, freeing you of the burdensome day-to-day status quo culture and toward kaizen.
Do not get bogged down in the mechanics of A3 and VSM forms. Explore, become a sleuth, involve stakeholders and keep them informed of your progress. Compile the true story from short stories of others. Make sure the end of the story has a positive outcome toward kaizen. And I will state here, keep the customer in mind.
For the best information on A3 thinking read the book "Managing to Learn".
1. John Shook, Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process (Cambridge, MA: The Lean Institute, 2008), 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment