This paper presents a case study investigating the use of A3 Architectural Overviews (A3AOs) in lean product development teams. A3AOs is a tool used in product development and lean manufacturing to increase communication and knowledge sharing across the organization. We studied the implementation in an engineering department of a global oil and gas supplier, by performing a case study and extensive depth interviews. We also studied earlier implementation initiatives of A3s in a thorough literature review. A finding was that, although current and former research have shown clear benefits of utilizing this tool, the company rarely uses it today. We wanted to investigate challenges with creating and implementing A3AO in the organization. Our results show that A3AOs may be a well‐suited tool to improve the requirements handover process within the company. We also make an outline of challenges and benefits with using and implementing A3AOs in the researched engineering department, with the goal to successfully implement A3AOs in the future.
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