如何使用A3报告：发展架构化的问题解决和领导技能的资源(英文)

作者| Tom Ehrenfeld

译者|李兆华老师 烟雨

标题：

How to A3: Resources for DevelopingStructured Problem-Solving and Leadership Skills

如何使用A3报告：发展架构化的问题解决和领导技能的资源（本篇文章为中英文对照）

全文总计3293字，需阅读9分钟，以下为正文：

With the upcominglaunch of the Managing to Learn Remotely workshop in July, this felt like a good time to revisitone of our most popular posts, a roundup of resources that can help you develophealthy A3 thinking.

随着7月份“远程学习管理”研讨会的即将召开，这似乎是回顾我们最受欢迎的文章之一的好时机，这是一篇有助于您发展正确的A3思维的摘要性文章。

A3 reports have become one of the mostpopular lean tools today, a way for people and teams to work together to solveproblems; and their widespread adoption could easily be viewed in lean termsas…a problem.

A3报告已成为当今最流行的精益工具之一，是员工和团队共同解决问题的一种方式，对其广泛采用在精益术语中很容易被认为是一个问题。

Tools often provide traction forgetting started with lean practice, and A3s often deliver immediate results.The A3 ‘problem’ (a gap, in this case, between the intended purpose and actualusage) echoes the broader challenge facing widespread adoption of any provenTPS methodology: moving from lean tools to lean management, according to Jim Womack. As he notes, “Tools—for processanalysis and for management—are wonderful things. And they are absolutelynecessary. And managers love them because they seem to provide shortcuts todoing a better job. But they can’t achieve their potential results, and oftencan’t achieve any results, without managers with a lean state of mind to wieldthem.”

工具的使用通常为精益实践的入门提供动力，而A3报告又往往会带来立竿见影的效果。根据Jim Womack（吉姆·沃麦克）的说法，A3的“问题”(即预期目的和实际使用之间的差距)回应了广泛采用任何行之有效的TPS方法所面临的更广泛的挑战：即从精益工具转向精益管理。正如他所指出的，“用于流程分析和管理的工具是极好的，也是绝对必要的。管理者们喜欢工具，因为它们似乎为把工作做得更好提供了捷径。但是，如果管理者没有用精益的思维运用它们，他们就无法实现潜在的结果，也常常无法达成任何目标。”

Let’s keep in mind the purpose of A3s,from the Introduction to John Shook’s key book on the topic, Managing to Learn (MtL).

让我们牢记使用A3报告的目的，在约翰·舒克（John Shook）老师的著作《学习型管理：培养领导团队的A3管理方法》导言中进行了介绍。

"Writingan A3 is the first step toward learning to use the A3 process, toward learningto learn. Some benefits in improved problem-solving, decision-making, andcommunications ability can be expected when individual A3 authors adopt thisapproach.”

编写A3报告是学习A3流程的第一步，也是学会如何学习的第一步。当A3编写者采用这种方法时，可以期待会提高解决问题、决策和沟通能力。

All well and good. Unfortunately mostorganizations stop there, and don’t proceed to the next step. As Shookcautions, “unless the broader organization embraces the broader process, themuch greater benefit will be unrealized. The entire effort may degenerate intoa ‘check-the-box’ exercise, as A3s will join unused SPC charts, ignoredstandardized work forms, and disregarded value-stream maps as corporatewallpaper.”

看起来似乎一切顺利！但不幸的是，大多数组织都止步于此，没有继续下一步。正如舒克（ Shook）所警告的那样，“除非更广泛的组织接受更广泛的流程，否则更大的利益将无法实现。整个努力可能会退化为“复选框”作业，因为A3将加入没用过的SPC图表、被忽略的标准化工作表单，以及被忽略的价值流图，而成为公司的墙纸。”

So what exactly are A3 reports? A3 reports are a way of structuring and sharing knowledge thatenables teams and their members to practice scientific thinking as a way ofdiscovering and learning together. The tool promises immediate benefits byhelping people structure and design more effective approaches to problems(framing them in solvable ways, taking a data-based approach, usingroot-cause-analysis to find the point of origin for problems (gaps),encouraging careful problem analysis over quick abstract “solutions,” and soforth).

那么A3报告到底是什么呢？A3报告是一种构建和共享知识的方式，使团队及其成员能够践行科学思维，从而共同发现和学习。通过帮助人们构建和设计更有效的问题解决方法(以可解决的方式构建问题，采用基于数据的方法，使用根因分析来找到问题的根源(差距)，鼓励对问题进行仔细分析而不是快速得出“解决方案”等)，从而带来立竿见影的好处。

Definitions include:

-A storyboard

-5S for information

-Standardized story-telling

-A “visual manifestation of a problem-solving thought processinvolving continual dialogue between the owner of an issue and others in anorganization.”

其定义包括:

-故事板

-5S信息

-标准化的描述

-“解决问题的思维过程的可视化表示，包括问题所有者和组织中其他人之间的持续对话“

They are all that, and more.Essentially, A3 reports, named for the international-sized A3 paper (a largerpage of roughly 11 by 17 inches), enable people in organizations to captureissues through a commonly understood template, permitting people to seeproblems through the same lens. The sequence is designed along the logic ofscientific thinking—the PDCA cycle at the heart of lean thinking. You candownload A3 templates from LEI here.

Ａ3就是这些，甚至更多。本质上，A3报告以国际尺寸的A3纸张（大约11英寸乘17英寸的较大页）命名，使组织中的人们可以通过通用模板来识别问题，使员工可以通过相同的视角来看待问题。该顺序是按照精益思维的核心PDCA循环的科学思维的逻辑设计。

The basic thinking process captured bythis format is relatively simple, and has been around in many other forms andformats for a long time. There are differenttypes of A3s,according to the situation. But don’t work too hard to find the precisely rightformat; in fact, veterans such as David Verble stress the importance ofstarting your A3 not bywriting but by thinking.

从这种格式获取到的基本思维过程相对简单，并且已经以许多其他形式和格式存在很长时间了。根据不同情况，有不同类型的A3报告，但是不要花费太多精力去寻找准确的A3报告格式。事实上，像David Verble这样的资深人士强调，A3的重要性不是编写而是通过A3如何思考问题。

“The most fundamental use of the A3 isas a simple problem-solving tool. But the underlying principles and practicescan be applied in any organizational setting. Given that the first use of theA3 as a tool is to standardize a methodology to understand and respond toproblems, A3s encourage root cause analysis, reveal processes, and representgoals and actions in a format that triggers conversation and learning,” saysJohn Shook in this piece sharinghis purpose for writing MtL.

约翰·舒克（John Shook）在这篇分享他著写《学习型管理：培养领导团队的A3管理方法》一书的目的的文章中这样说，“A3最基本的用途是作为一个简明的问题解决工具。但是其基本原则和实践性可以应用于任何组织环境。鉴于A3作为工具的第一个用途是理解和应对问题的标准化方法，A3鼓励进行根本原因分析，揭示过程，并以触发对话和学习的形式表现目标和行动。”

There’s no doubt that those with deepexperience have found great power in A3 practice. For example, lean veteranGary Convis says that he, “used the A3 format as a way of seeing inside the minds of the 113plant managers,” citing hisexperience at Dana Holdings Corp, as well as elaborating on usingA3 problem solving to make the thinking process visible.

毫无疑问，那些有着丰富经验的人在A3实践中发现了巨大的力量。例如， Gary Convis说，他“使用A3格式作为一种方式来观察113名工厂经理的内心想法”，他引用了自己在达纳控股公司（Dana Holdings Corp）的经验，并详细阐述了如何使用A3思维解决问题来让思考过程变得清晰可见。

Toyota veteran Tracey Richardson sharesa hugely practical step-by-step tour of the A3 thinking process in her greatarticle Create a Real A3, Do More than Fill In Boxes. In so doing she explains how an A3 is “a way of thinking withdeeper benefits, a process based on the PDCA (plan, do, check, adjust) cycle designedto “share wisdom” with the rest of the organization.” Another terrific A3“stroll” is provided in this recent piece by Jon Miller.

丰田资深人士Tracey Richardson在她的精彩文章《创建一个真正的A3，不仅仅是填充方块》中分享了有关A3思维过程的非常实用的分步指南。在此过程中，她解释了A3是“一种具有更深层次受益的思考方式，一种基于PDCA(计划、执行、检查、调整)循环的过程，旨在与组织的其他成员“分享智慧”。Jon Miller最近的一篇文章提供了另一个很棒的A3“漫谈”（链接：https://blog.gembaacademy.com/2016/06/27/so-you-think-you-need-an-a3-template/）。

Tracey complements her brief user’sguide with a piece that suggests you Test Your PDCA Thinking By Reading Your A3 Backwards as a way of avoiding a common A3 hazard—jumping toconclusions.

Tracey用一篇文章补充了她简短的用户指南，文章中建议你通过倒着阅读你的A3报告来测试你的PDCA思维，以此来避免常见的A3风险——匆忙跳至结论。

Whengiven a problem to solve, most individuals rush to provide the bestest solutionthe fastest. Yet the nature of A3 thinking requires careful framing of theproblem, rigorous analysis of a clearly defined (and improvable “gap”), patientobservation at the source, and real dialogue with the people touching theproblem.

当遇到需要解决的问题时，大多数人都会以最快的速度提供最好的解决方案。然而A3思维的本质要求仔细的构建所要解决问题，对一个明确定义的和可改进的“差距”进行严格的分析，对问题的根源进行耐心的观察，并与涉及问题的人进行真正的对话。

The A3 form exists to capture and documentthis material; it is not a formal document in and of itself. “If you’re ‘doing’or ‘filling out’ an A3 behind your desk, I can say most of the time you willnot be able to answer the questions above [listing the cause and effect logicof an A3],” says Tracey.

A3报告的存在是为了获取和记录这些材料；它本身并不是一份正式文件。Tracey 说，“如果你是坐在办公室制作或填写A3报告，我可以说大多数时候你都无法回答上面的问题(列出A3的因果逻辑)。”

It’s worth noting that while there aredifferent types of A3 reports, it’s useful to recognize that “not everysituation requires an A3,” according to Norbert Majerus of Goodyear. In To A3 or Not to A3, he proposes a situational application that avoids aone-size-fits-all tool mindset. Specifically, he explains how the cynefinframework developed by Dave Snowden and Mary Boone can help navigate thedifferent situations in one might apply A3 thinking.

值得注意的是，虽然有不同类型的A3报告，但根据固特异公司的Norbert Majerus的说法，认识到“并非每种情况都需要A3”是有用的。在用A3报告还是不用A3报告的选择中，他提出了一个应用情景，避免了一种“万能”的思维方式。具体来说，他解释了Dave Snowden and Mary Boone开发的cynefin问题构建框架是如何帮助人们在不同的情况下运用A3思维的。

Some argue that good problem-solving isnot about having the right answers; it’s about practicing a useful, andcommonly understood approach to thinking about thinking (learning).“Never losesight of the thinking process that enables you to complete an A3—which thenserves as a way of capturing, communicating, and building on what was learned,”says Tracey in A3:Tool or Process? Both…

有人认为，好的解决问题的方法并不是要有正确的答案，而是要练习一种有用的、被普遍理解的思维方式来思考(学习)。Tracey在《A3思维：是工具还是流程？或者两者都是……》中说到，永远不要忽视完成A3报告的思考过程，它是你获取、交流和构建所学知识的一种方式。

In deepening this thinking-processthrough “A3 Mind,” you and your teammates can learn to activate what DanielKahneman calls both “fast” and “slow” thinking, says Michael Balle. “The key isto look at A3s as a physical support for managerial relationships based onexpertise and teaching,” as a way to sustain A3 thinking in your organization, he notes. Such a shared approach can bring about a core leangoal: helping a problem-solving culture take root.

Michael Balle说，通过“A3思维”来深化这个思考过程，你和你的团队可以学会激活Daniel Kahneman所说的“快速”和“慢速”思考。他指出：“关键是要把A3报告看成是基于专业知识和教学管理关系的物理支持。”这是在组织中维持A3思维的一种方式。这种共享的方法可以实现核心精益目标：帮助解决问题的文化扎根。