There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With 'A3 report', a piece of paper is satisfied
"Mr. Ape, it's just been a month since I took office. I'm really busy." Wang Xiaoli, the new manager of the investment promotion department, is reporting to me.
"Xiao Wang, what's the matter? Are those places busy?"
"Mr. Ape, you know, I came here as a front-line salesperson, so I didn't have a hard time writing. Now I find that being the manager of the investment promotion department is really busy, especially writing reports all day long. Weekly reports, bi-weekly customer analysis, monthly reports , monthly market situation summary and analysis, feasibility study report of marketing activities, etc. I have to lead employees and do business, and I am busy all day long.
"Xiao Wang, as a department manager, especially since we are a large company, it is essential to leave a written mark on the work."
"Mr. Ape, I know the importance of leaving marks in written work. I don't mean that I don't want to write reports. I just want to improve the form of written reports and use a focused, concise and effective reporting method. Recently I found Some information, I think a reporting method used by Toyota in Japan is worth learning."
"Oh, then you go on talking."
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
The report method introduced by Manager Wang is "A3 report", also known as "one-page report"
A3 Report (A3 Report)
A3 Report (A3 Report) is a standard report format summed up by Toyota in the implementation of lean management for many years.
In an increasingly competitive market, the management rhythm of the company is getting faster and faster, and the traditional reporting form is becoming less and less suitable. This is when a concise but focused reporting format is needed. A piece of paper does not represent a simple report, on the contrary, within Toyota, A3 reporting is also called a fine report. So what are the characteristics and functions of the A3 report technique?
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
Features and Functions of "A3 Report"
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
01 Clear at a glance: communicate effectively with all interested parties in a simple and clear written format
First of all, we can see that the A3 report is a simple and clear way of written communication, and even people who come into contact with the A3 report for the first time can control the situation at a glance.
In the workplace, a written report is an essential communication method. Its main advantages are that the information is stable, traceable, and archived. At the same time, a report can be forwarded to multiple people. Because of its advantages, written reports are the primary way of leaving a job mark.
In large companies, because of the many management levels, there is a high requirement for job traces, and there are various written reports. As a result, grass-roots managers are busy filling out reports and writing reports. In this scenario, the A3 report has the outstanding advantages of being clear at a glance, simple and clear.
02 Clear logic: The whole process from clarifying problems to tracking results is very clear
The basic contents of the A3 report are: subject, problem situation, goal, cause analysis, countermeasures, implementation, and tracking.
It can be seen that although there is only one page, there is no lack of key information in the whole process including general management issues.
A basic setting of "A3 reporting" is: in almost all situations of enterprise management, one-page reports can be preferred to communicate and transmit information. At the same time, because the whole process of the problem is included, the facts can be clearly and accurately stated, and it is easy for readers to understand, so that correct decisions can be made quickly.
03 Focused: Use effective thinking tools for key points to facilitate quick decision-making
Another feature of the A3 report is: structured decomposition of the problem, it is particularly effective to decompose a complex problem into several problems and summarize them. After the decomposition, the most important and difficult part is the cause analysis.
The A3 report requires the use of scientific thinking tools—fishbone diagram analysis or 5why analysis in the reason analysis section. These two analysis methods are very effective thinking tools proved by long-term management practice, and can guarantee the reliability of A3 report.
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
It can be seen that the A3 report is a clear, logical, prominent and reliable way of leaving work traces. In a complex market environment, it is convenient for internal information communication, rapid decision-making and timely action.
So how to use "A3 reporting" to specific work?
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
How to use the "A3 report" to streamline work traces and strengthen communication
01 Master the 2 principles of "A3 report"
The first principle is: write reports directly
The A3 report asks employees to condense the essence of the report into one page, clarify the problem, make things clear, remove the complicated and unnecessary content, and directly state "title, problem, plan, risk, conclusion and approval" , to change the habit of writing long summaries.
The second principle is: it's a way of thinking
The A3 report is not just a tool for keeping track of work, but also a way of thinking about work. A3 report is a comprehensive reflection based on scientific thinking and a comprehensive way of thinking to deal with realistic management problems. Any problem will not be fundamentally changed just because it is written on A3 paper. However, if you are familiar with the A3 report and master this kind of thinking, it can be fully applied to practical work.
02 Familiarize yourself with the 7 steps of "A3 Report".
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
Clarify the problem: The content of the background should be clear, which can be visualized in the form of diagrams; provide the necessary information to help readers understand the situation and understand the content. Questions should be related to the overall goals of the company and department.
Decomposing the problem: describing the current state of a process or system, emphasizing the main factors in the current state, identifying the real problems in the current state, not only using qualitative but also quantitative methods to describe the current state.
Goal Setting: Goals should be set based on the status quo, clear, and easily measurable.
Grasp the real cause: Use the "5why" and "fishbone diagram" analysis methods and other root cause analysis methods to analyze the internal causes of the problem most effectively; use diagrams as much as possible to present key findings; identify the real cause.
Develop countermeasures: Make sure there is an action plan for each potential cause; confirm who is responsible for each action, what to do, and when.
Evaluation results: need to verify the effectiveness of all action items; determine the use of the same criteria when comparing target analysis; determine data collection and collection methods.
Consolidate results: Look for other similar processes in the department that could benefit from countermeasures; consider whether there are similar processes outside the department that should know this information; consider and plan whether the department should know about these changes to improve future development.
After being familiar with the 7 steps of "A3 reporting technique", it is necessary to strengthen, train and apply 3 important thinking tools.
03 Use the three thinking analysis tools of "A3 report"
Use SMART principles in setting goals.
SMART principle
S=Specific explicitness
M=Measurable
A=Attainable Achievability
R=Relevant correlation
T=Time-bound time limit
In the "A3 reporting technique", the most difficult part is to analyze the true cause. It is necessary to apply scientific thinking methods such as "5why" analysis method or "fishbone diagram" analysis method to ensure the accuracy of the report.
"5why" analysis method: It is a method of repeatedly using the "why" method to ask yourself 5 times in a row to find the root cause of the problem by breaking the casserole method.
"Fishbone Diagram" analysis method: It was developed by the Japanese management master Mr. Ishikawa Xin, so it is also known as Ishikawa Diagram. A fishbone diagram is a method of discovering the "root cause" of a problem, which can also be called a "causal diagram". Mainly used in business management to establish analytical models.
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
04 Adjust the actual management behavior according to the "A3 report"
Manager Wang carefully studied the "A3 reporting technique", and began to think that a paper report was relatively simple. After he really studied it, he realized that it was not easy. But she also felt that this was not just writing a report, but a management mindset. Through this kind of management thinking, the business of the department can be adjusted and improved.
Manager Wang adjusted the department management behavior according to the spirit and steps of "A3 reporting technique":
In the morning meeting, the main task is to arrange tasks and collect questions.
Organize group discussions and brainstorms to analyze the real causes and discuss countermeasures.
Identify and analyze issues, evaluate results and consolidate results at formal regular meetings.
Follow up the implementation process according to the person responsible for the measure reported in A3.
Before learning the A3 reporting technique, Manager Wang felt that writing reports for the sake of writing reports often seemed to be a long way from writing reports and actual management. But after using the A3 reporting technique, especially after adjusting the actual management behavior, the writing of the report itself and the management behavior are integrated. Manager Wang's work efficiency has been greatly improved, and he feels that the A3 reporting technique should be promoted downwards and upwards.
There are bosses and employees at the top, and they write reports all day long? With "A3 report", a piece of paper is satisfied
05 Promote "A3 report", train subordinates, communicate with superiors, and become an effective form of team communication
An important principle of A3 reporting is: not just a report, but a management thinking.
Manager Wang recommended the A3 report to me. I also feel that if the A3 report is applied to the entire enterprise management, it is a common communication language, and people in different departments, functions and levels can communicate projects, as well as analysis and improvement of problems without barriers.
The company decided to adopt Manager Wang's suggestion, hired A3 report experts, and trained all department managers in the company, which became a common communication language for the company and a common way of leaving work marks.
Manager Wang also trained his subordinates in the A3 report method, which is a very good problem-solving training tool. This structured template form can cultivate employees' ability of root cause analysis, scientific thinking and systematic project execution and tracking.
Although the A3 report is only a piece of paper, it is a condensation of many scientific management thinking and tools. Through the promotion of the A3 report, the management level of the Investment Promotion Department and even the whole company has been raised to a higher level.