A3.  

Just a paper size, or something more?

Used as part of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, this powerful way of thinking originally developed by Toyota is written on a ledger-sized paper, hence the name, the 'A3 report'.

By limiting yourself to an A3 (11-inch by 17-inch) piece of paper, the limited space to scrawl builds a solid structure for successful problem-solving, including forcing a focus on determining the root cause of the problem.

When creating this type of report you should include all relevant information that enables you to establish a clear representation of the current problem, and in-turn eliminates "waste" in the form of information that is not pertinent to the problem at hand.

The underlying thinking, therefore, is that the streamlined report focuses only on the problem and its solution, nothing else.  Similar to the define, measure, analyze, improve and control method (DMAIC), an A3 report has four main steps that should be followed.

Firstly, preparation and training, followed by process mapping and current state analysis, moving on to process mapping and future state analysis, and finally, implementation and ownership.  Each component in the report feeds to the next and quickly enables smart companies to move through the identification of issues, the way to resolve them, and who is responsible for doing so.

Using this approach, and more specifically, acting quickly and decisively to identify and solve issues before they occur, ADIS Tachov s.r.o. are masters at ensuring the performance and continuity of excellence in their operations.

Specializing in auto plastics,  ADIS are global suppliers to the car industry and led by sixsigma black-belts, dedicate their workflow to match their motto: “Quality with Integrity”.