The A3 is an important part of the Toyota Production System. The A3 is a method, a teaching mechanism, and also a report out tool, called the A3 Report. This video explains the Toyota A3 Template and following the video you can find a free Toyota A3 Template Download so you can have an example to follow – a real A3 example from Toyota.
A3 as a Method
The A3 is a method of problem solving that utilizes Plan-Do-Check-Act in it’s approach. Each section in the A3 11×17 paper is divided into PDCA.
A3 as a Teaching Mechanism
The A3 is also a vehicle for teaching or coaching. The saying “it takes 2 to A3” is a common phrase in lean management and indicates that there are two roles – the teacher and the student. The A3 as a teaching mechanism allows the teacher to take the student through the various parts of the A3 – namely, PDCA.
A3 as a Report
The A3 is conveniently also a report. In other words, as the A3 is utilized to solve a problem and a teacher and student are interacting, the final product is conveniently a ready-made report that can be shared with others as well as with management.
