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Chapter 18. Telling the Story Using an A3 Report 381

up many questions to ensure that the problem has been correctly identified and
that approval to move forward is warranted.
After agreement has been reached to pursue a proposal, frequent status reports
occur. Depending on the activity, it may be weekly or monthly. The initial portion
of the A3 (problem statement and analysis, discussed in Chapter 15) does not
change for each update. That information is of a historical nature and is briefly
reviewed as a “refresher,” but the data does not change (unless an additional cycle
of PDCAwas necessary). The A3 is used to show the status of implementation and
current improvement results. The status update will include information regard-
ing the remaining time until completion, delays in the progress and plans to return
to the plan, and any challenges or issues requiring support from others. One com-
monly made mistake is to wait too long after the plan falls behind schedule before
making a contingency plan. This can put an activity behind schedule.

Outline for an A3

Putting your story together on a single piece of paper always follows the same
basic format; however, the actual content and space dedicated to each section
will vary. Figure 18-4 shows the basic layout of an A3 “problem-solving story,”
with each section identified and the flow of information shown with arrows.
Begin with a heading that has the “theme” of the activity, the preparer’s name,

A3 Report Title and Description

Problem Definition and
Implementation Plan
Description

Results
Problem Analysis

Future Steps

AUTHOR:______________________ DATE: ______________
Figure 18-4. A3 problem-solving story format and flow