What is the A3 Problem Solving Method?

Google “solving problems” and get past the latest-hype articles to real-world applications, you are likely to find a plethora of viable methods in solving problems. From simple checklists to sophisticated management techniques. Ascribe to Occam’s Razor and simple almost always wins, especially when the problems seem insurmountable. What we need is the simplicity of a checklist packaged with the sophistication of a logical, step-wise approach.

The A3 Problem Solving method is simple in its structure and sophisticated enough to encapsulate the complex structures of organizations, especially in the information technology space where a simple email requires all seven layers of the OSI model to operate effectively. Using the A3 model to solve IT problems is an excellent way to improve the organization's services. In this series, we'll apply the A3 to IT operations to reduce the number of incidents by finding and fixing the root cause.

The A3 Problem Solving method saw it’s birth in Toyota in the midst of the Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation with a key goal to present problems and their solutions in a one-page view (this was presumably to accommodate Taiichi Ono, a Machine Shop manager at Toyota that refused to read operations report longer than 1 page). As problems occurred on the production floor, engineers at Toyota used a simple A3 sheet of paper (roughly equivalent to an 11x17 sheet of paper) to describe and diagram the problem, uncover possible causes and the root cause, and document the implementation approach. The format of the template on paper allowed Toyota engineers to visualize all elements needed to solve the problem, despite how complex the problem may have seemed. This approach was adopted from Lean Process principles of TQM.

Principles and philosophy of TQM do not dictate a specific process, rather they encourages employee participation from all levels and the mindset of continuous improvement. Tools used in the process can and do vary with context, but the end goal is still the same: to grow the organization through educating the most important company asset: the employee. This is how Toyota built a culture of improvement and is known for its world-class manufacturing and quality.

As Toyota’s culture changed through the 70s, it was evident in the quality of products that were produced. Reliability improved, production issues were isolated and addressed quickly, and focus was placed on quality. This culture is shared by many companies today. Although the methodology was invented for the production floor, it can be applied to the IT shops.

In the IT shop, production means support of all systems that run the business. We encounter problems, but often through reporting an incident. The challenge lies in working towards solutions that limit impactful incidents or those that continue to consume time required to resolve. Sometimes, the incident we encounter is large and it impacts the business (or those supporting the business) in a major way. In other cases, the incident is nagging and continues to occur over and over. In both cases, business is affected, and it requires we have an effective method to solve these scenarios.

The IT shop is made complex through the many components required to provide a service to business. Like a production floor, addressing problems in this complex space requires the A3 problem solving method that can be used effectively to isolate the root cause of a problem and to develop a workable plan to avoid the incident or incidents that create the problem.

When we apply the method correctly, we will address the problem with appropriate solutions. Designing the A3 Problem Solving Method in to the Problem Management discipline of service management enables effective IT problem solving efforts. In the end, our goal is to reduce incidents allowing us to focus on delivering quality services, and the A3 is a way to make that happen.