Assembly Magazine did an article similar to this topic some type a while ago. At a recent client off site meeting I was asked to briefly discuss common mistakes I see made in A3 reports. The list is simply populated by observation and no doubt might change over time. It also varies of course widely case by case, company by company, etc. Here are a dozen items that I mentioned during the discussion.
Common Mistakes in Writing A3 Reports
1. The scope is too big for initial A3 assignments
2. The A3 is an answer in search of a problem
3. No clear depiction of the process or situation
4. The entire document is in text
5. No PDCA cycle (or DMAIC or Scientific Method, etc.) for improvement
6. The problem statement is vague or missing
7. The analysis is superficial and does not get to cause and effect
8. The Goal Statements are fuzzy or action items in disguise
9. There are no clear assignments regarding who does what by when
10. The check part of the equation lacks and relevant before and after comparison of effect
11. The countermeasures don’t really address the root causes
12. There is no plan for reflection, standardization, or follow up at the end.
I’ll try and write a short post on each of these in the upcoming weeks for further explanation.