Goldilocks is a great source for guidance on A3 problem-solving. With the goal of getting the approach “just right” it’s critical to assess the kinds of problems that require A3s. As with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, some problems are “Papa Bear” sized, with multiple unknown factors to explore. A…
Kaizen Charter? Knowledge Capture? Project Tracker? Posting Board? A3s have grown beyond their roles as problem-solving staples. They’ve expanded and staked out a richer domain in the Lean Six Sigma Toolkit. The A3 is often where we start to examine a challenge, address a problem or consider an opportunity. While…
Dr. Deming was amazing, but who was his teacher? Who produced the PDCA Cycle? Who conceived of Statistical Process Control? The modest man behind the scenes, another fascinating product of the Hawthorne Works, was none other than Walter Shewhart. This year would have marked Walter Shewhart’s 129th birthday – truly…
You may run into process improvement enthusiasts who prefer one camp over another—the Lean camp uses Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) and the Six Sigma camp uses Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC)—but which one is better, DMAIC or PDCA? For years now, organizations looking to implement process improvement have had to wrestle with which method to…
Toyota's 8 Steps for Practical Problem Solving are rooted in Walter Shewhart's (and Dr. Deming's) PDCA Cycle (Plan Do Check Act). Toyota expanded on "Plan" with Steps 1-5 whereas "Do-Check-Act" correspond with Steps 6, 7 and 8. Both systems are based on the Scientific Method and help support a culture…
“Don’t rule by fear,” “Stop inspection,” “Remove silos” and "Clarify your purpose.” Dr. Deming’s principles are as applicable today as they were when he was alive. He challenged managers to rule without fear, without targets or quotas and focus instead on setting the stage for pride of workmanship. What workplace…
