A3 thinking is a structured approach to practical problem solving and continuous improvement. It is based upon the internationally-recognised PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle and famously utilised by the Toyota Motor Corporation.
There are numerous templates for A3 problem solving - here is one typical example:
- Clarify the problem
- Break down the problem
- Set a target
- Analyse the root cause of the problem
- Develop countermeasures
- Implement countermeasures
- Monitor results and process
- Standardise and share success
Today, A3 Thinking is frequently employed as a team-based problem solving tactic within quick thinking organisations. The name 'A3 Thinking' is derived from the A3 worksheet that practitioners of this system use to tackle problems - FAST.
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The main advantage of A3 problem solving is the way in which it drives towards a comprehensive understanding of the problem at hand and helps the user(s) to identify the best available countermeasures. Using the A3 approach is also a great way to demonstrate continuous improvement and corrective action if you are certified to ISO 9001.
If you would like to implement a structured problem solving / continuous improvement system within your organisation, please contact NPT Management Systems to discuss your requirements. Our experienced consultants have helped numerous companies from a broad variety of business sectors to solve problems fast whilst eliminating waste and significantly improving productivity.
As more or less anyone who’s ever had a job will testify, joining a new company can be a very daunting experience. The first day tends to be the scariest, but even with that hurdle out of the way, it can still take weeks or even months for a newcomer to really settle in and become integrated with the rest of the team.
Of course, as an employer, it’s very much in your best interest to get each new recruit into the swing of things ASAP. Here are a few tips for helping a new employee to get comfortable with their role and fit in with everyone else:
- Give them a proper welcome. If you’re constantly very busy (as most business owners are), it can sometimes be difficult to find time for a new arrival – many bosses simply tell their new recruits to get stuck right in, possibly asking another staff member to show them the ropes as they go. But it’s better for everyone if you make time to sit down with the new employee on their first day and give them a full briefing: welcome them to the company, explain their role in detail, go over what they will be expected to do during an average day, and encourage them to ask questions if they’re unsure of anything.
- Introduce them to their new colleagues. Don’t just point at everyone and reel off a list of names – call a staff meeting and make sure the newcomer knows who everybody is and understands each person’s role within the organisation. Equally, you’ll want to ensure that your old hands know who the new individual is and what they’re doing here too. This meeting should be held as soon as possible – you may even wish to gather everyone around on the Friday afternoon before the new recruit officially starts work.
- Make yourself available. Your new employee is bound to have a lot of questions on their first day, and more questions will likely arise as they get to grips with the tasks you assign. Make sure you’re around to answer them, or the newcomer will quickly feel disconnected and uncertain about their new role.
- Get them up to speed with any systems you already have in place. This could be anything from an ISO 9001-certified quality management system to the system for taking your lunch break. Any systems, processes or protocols – no matter how informal or self-explanatory they might seem to you – should be explained right away to help the newcomer feel like they’re truly in the loop. Of course, if you do have a formal management system in place, it’s doubly crucial to ensure that the new person is working in the same way and to the same standards as everyone else!
Image by Kanban Tool
Christmas may seem a long way off at the moment, but with autumn closing in, now is very much the time to start thinking about your staff do. Leave it too late and there’s a chance that everywhere will be fully booked, in which case your Christmas party – a seasonal staple for many businesses and a great way to reward your employees for another year’s hard work – may not even happen.
So gather your team around, ignore their cries of ‘Do we HAVE to start talking about Christmas already?’ and find out what everyone wants to do this year. If you’re struggling to come up with any ideas, here are a few fun suggestions that are slightly more adventurous than just having a few beers in the office...
- Go-Karting: If you want to celebrate the festive season with a little friendly competition, why not take the team down to your local go-kart centre and see who’s the fastest in the company? Don’t worry if there’s a sore loser amongst your staff – they’ll have the whole Christmas period to get over it!
- Room Escape: These Crystal Maze-style games are very popular right now, with room escape centres popping up all over the country. The goal is simple: escape from the room by solving a series of puzzles and unlocking the door before time runs out! The puzzles, which tend to blend physical tasks with mental challenges, are great fun, and this could be a great choice of activity if you want to sneakily boost everyone’s team working and problem solving skills!
- A Meal Out: If the above suggestions sound a little too exhausting for you, you may prefer to go a more traditional route and take the team out for drinks and a sit-down meal. Find a nice restaurant in your town, book a table now (before all the other businesses in your area have the same idea), and remember to bring along some crackers for everyone to pull!
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All too often, attempts to achieve real improvement within an organisation fail to get results because the managers are aiming for a one-off fix instead of for sustained growth over time. Continuous improvement should be the goal, and this can be attained via a solid continuous business improvement programme.
Of course, these programmes are only effective if everyone in your company understands how to work with the programme and implement it in every area of the business. Fortunately, we at NPT Management Systems don't just help you to plan your continuous improvement programme - we can also provide in-depth continuous improvement training sessions for your staff to ensure that they have full understanding of (and confidence in) the new system. With our training, your employees will be capable of:
- Identifying business process problems
- Resolving process problems quickly
- Assuming a leadership role when solving process problems
We will also make sure that everyone is well-versed in such important improvement tools as process mapping, cause and effect diagrams, and pareto diagrams.
For more information about our continuous improvement training service, please contact NPT Management Systems today.
Here at NPT Management Systems, we provide a comprehensive array of services for businesses based in Portsmouth. In particular, we have helped numerous companies within the PO postcode area to implement highly efficient quality management systems and successfully achieve ISO 9001 certification (via a UKAS-accredited body).
Our professional ISO 9001 consultants have the experience and the expertise necessary to help any organisation meet ISO standards. Neal Peattie, our Founder and Principal Consultant, is an MCQI Chartered Quality Professional, and he is also a Lead Auditor for ISO 9001:2015. We are especially experienced when it comes to working with businesses within the UK's marine industry, but rest assured that we are more than capable of getting superb results for any organisation in any sector.
In addition to our ISO 9001 certification service, we can also assist our Portsmouth-based clients in the following areas:
If you are based in Portsmouth (or the surrounding area) and you require any combination of the services listed above, please contact NPT Management Systems today to speak to one of our experienced ISO consultants.
