Analysis of the A3 report template and suggestions for improvement

This paper studies the current difficulties lean team members face when creating and using the A3 report as a lean implementation tool. A study was conducted in a Singaporean manufacturing firm to observe problems faced when participants create, review and edit the A3 report. Problems observed include participants not creating action tasks, not recording identified problems, lack of collaborative root cause analysis, excess time spent on consolidating the Kaizen Newspaper, and excess time required to inform persons-in-charge of action tasks. Probable causes of difficulties observed are highlighted and case studies are referenced to propose possible features to mitigate these difficulties, such as sending tasks for review automatically, recording problems when identified, encourage sharing of A3 reports, automatic updating of the Kaizen Newspaper, and automatic notifications for persons-in-charge of action tasks. A mobile application was suggested as the medium of the improved A3 report and developed. Preliminary testing of two features indicate that it can reduce time required to manage the A3 report by approximately 90%. Additional trials were suggested to support the proposed features in the improved A3 report.