This process is sophisticated in the way it has been executed within Toyota, but the actual report itself is an interesting mix of both visual and common sense tactics. The approach is broken down into easily consumable parts that include the following:
- Background on a problem
- Current Conditions
- Goals/Targets
- Analysis
- Proposed Countermeasures
- Plan
- Follow-up
These are all typical aspects of a strategy or project plan, but in this case developed in a way that helps junior engineers/employees to work through a problem without rushing to a solution. It is intended to develop those skills that more experienced personnel demonstrate after having been through a variety of challenging scenarios over time.
I think this is an excellent mechanism for mentoring while accomplishing a given task or tasks in a thorough manner. In my experience, there are limited methods in place (especially for larger corporations) to go through a process like this. There are often opportunities for an individual to ask for input from more experienced or senior employees, but it can be left up to the individual. In this case, there is more structure and in my opinion, a true hands-on experience that is more impactful than what many employers provide today.
Another positive thing I took away from this approach is the use of graphics and images to convey a message. Some of this is based on statistics and some just used for mere demonstration. It reminds me of work being done to simplify messaging to employees as well as customers. One example of this is Edward Tufte, a specialist in the world of human interaction and design in general. I've seen at least one presentation from him that has impacted the way I communicate whether it is internally or externally. The more simple the message and less complicated powerpoints, documents, etc come into play the more likely you are to capture the attention of your audience. I like this concept as a lesson in learning but also in how to communicate. Here is a link to his blog: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/.
Tanya: I agree with you that simplicity in A3 proces is a big plus, which I also pointed out in my blog. More often than not, companies rely on formal documentation/presentation for each process and in a way stifle innovations. A3 process encourages creative thinking. Its intuitive form makes it easier for managers to pass on decision making knowledge to team members.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your analysis regarding the importance of simple messages in capturing audience's attention. In order to explain countermeasures in simple sentences, one really needs to understand the problem well. In fact, sometimes only an expert is able to explain a complicated concept like black hole in a simple enough way to be understood by laymen audience.
Tanya...the mentoring aspect of this approach is definitely extremely beneficial to both sides. The structure of this approach calls for the “mentee” to ask questions, get involved with senior and junior members across an organization, giving them a voice, and visibility as well as a great opportunity to learn. In regards to the “mentor”, the structure of this forces them to really become an expert in whatever it is they are involved with because they have to take the knowledge they have and simplify it in such a way that it can be understood across all levels of expertise. I have found that when I need to train an individual in let’s say an assay I have developed, I tend to gain even more knowledge myself during preparation for the training because I want to be able to answer any questions that may come about during the process. I also want to ensure that the person I am training or working with has faith that I know what I am talking about. So the scenario of teaching/explaining is also learning process in that one has to fully understand the topic/protocol etc. themselves, sometime even above and beyond what they initially knew and understood in order to relay the information in such a manner that it is understood by those being instructed or informed no matter what level of expertise.
ReplyDeleteTanya, I learned stuffs from your blog and also Carmin’s comments! I like the way you related this model to the employees and supervisor relationships. I agree that it is a good way to inspire employees to add inputs to the company and it is a great way to show participation and innovation. Maybe we can add an extra box to the model with supervisor’s advice and inputs. As a result, the A3 model will become a two-way communication problem-solving model in which more effective result will be reached.
ReplyDeleteI also learned some things from Carmin's post. Thank you Carmin! There is great information in what you indicated around the mentor/mentee relationship and especially your comment regarding the process of getting ready to teach someone else about a process or topic. This resonates with me as I have been in many situations where I've been asked to act as an expert on a subject and educate others, and in the process learned a lot myself. Thank you for your input!
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