{"id":5875,"date":"2022-08-10T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10003\/the-lean-post\/articles\/test-your-pdca-thinking-by-reading-your-a3-backwards\/"},"modified":"2023-07-19T12:53:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T16:53:52","slug":"test-your-pdca-thinking-by-reading-your-a3-backwards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lean.org\/the-lean-post\/articles\/test-your-pdca-thinking-by-reading-your-a3-backwards\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Test Your A3 Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever been told, “You need to\u00a0do an\u00a0A3<\/em>\u00a0on that?” Or worse, “You should\u00a0fill out an A3?”<\/em>\u00a0Me too. So, it’s worth repeating that though the A3 report appears merely to be an 11-by-17-inch document to fill out, it’s much more than that. Instead, the A3 serves as your guide through several plan-do-check-act (PDCA) improvement or problem-solving cycles. And as you proceed through and record the A3 thinking process, it becomes a report that helps you communicate and collaborate with others. For leaders and managers, the A3 process is a way to engage people in dialogue at the gemba. [NOTE: There are different ways of practicing\u00a0PDCA, but I use the PDCA process specific to\u00a0Toyota’s 8-step methodology<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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… we want to focus on the A3 thinking\u00a0process, not just the A3 as a report. So, here’s a way to ensure your A3 thinking is sound.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As I’ve said before, we need to be careful how we talk about A3s; we want to focus on the A3 thinking process<\/a>, not just the A3 as a report. So, here’s a way to ensure your A3 thinking is sound. And since a primary purpose of using A3 thinking is to prevent problem solvers from jumping to solutions, testing your A3 thinking process means closely examining whether you’ve truly engaged in every part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try ‘Reading in Reverse’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I experienced this valuable lesson\/process, called “reading in reverse,” firsthand from my trainers during my tenure at Toyota. So, to test that your A3 thinking is sound, read your A3 backward, from bottom-right to top-left. You can also use this approach as an A3 self-training practice. Managers can use it to help A3 owners strengthen their problem-solving capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I see someone speeding through the\u00a0problem-solving\u00a0process, I encourage them to read their A3 report in reverse, knowing there are checkpoints within the A3 that would call them (or rather, their thinking) out. The PDCA process within the A3 “knows” when the logic is broken between steps. You just need to be willing to be aware and tune in to the right frequency to hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, we read the “PDCA story” from left to right. For the A3 creator\/owner, the left side consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n