Using Toyota's A3 Thinking for Analyzing MBA Business Cases

Abstract

A3 Thinking is fundamental to Toyota's benchmark management philosophy and to their lean production system. It is used to solve problems, gain agreement, mentor team members, and lead organizational improvements. A structured problem-solving approach, A3 Thinking builds improvement opportunities through experience. We used The Toyota Way to introduce these concepts and practices and we incorporated A3 Thinking into the case analysis dimension of our functionally integrated MBA class, Managing People and Processes. Results of A3 Thinking were communicated by the A3 report, using a single 11" by 17" sheet of paper. We surveyed students at the end of the semester, after they had created numerous A3 reports for case analysis. In addition to reinforcing A3 Thinking concepts, students and faculty found that A3 reporting added value to case analysis, class discussions, and presentations and pushed the focus of analysis into key issues and root causes often overlooked in a more intuitive approach. Emphasis on conciseness and graphics helped students improve communication and the format of the A3 reports helped instructors quickly review and evaluate the case analyses.

Applications of template A3 and value-stream mapping in process improvement: the case of building elevators installation

“…The template A3 is a system that helps building up improvement opportunities based on practical experience. (Shook, 2009(Shook, , 2014.…”

Continuous Improvement of Team Assignments: Using a Web‐Based Tool and the Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act Cycle in Design and Redesign

“…The PDCA cycle is a well-known framework rooted in manufacturing that facilitates continuous improvement in educational institutions (Aggarwal & Lynn, 2012;Anderson, Morgan, & Williams, 2011;Venkatraman, 2007). The PDCA cycle advocates for the value of considerable upfront planning and the use of statistical tools to help reveal problems and support data-driven interventions.…”

Problem management in production processes with the use of A3 Report

“…in the case of production processes -going to the production floor and directly examining the problem). [2,4,5,6,7] …”

“…It turns out that its roots reach many years ago when Toyota understood that each problem occurring in the company can and even should be described on a single sheet of paper so that any person dealing with a given problem has an opportunity to see it from the same perspective [2,4,5,6]. Although the main way of thinking used in A3 Reports is always based on the same logic, the format and vocabulary used are flexible and can be adjusted to specific needs.…”