Today we'll discuss an A3 report template and how to use it.
[Intro Video]
Hi, this is Mike Negami, Lean Sigma Black Belt.
I introduced the A3 Report that Toyota created, in my last video.
If you haven’t seen it, click this link and watch it.
You can use the A3 Report: 1) For Reporting, 2) For Proposal/Business Planning and 3) As
a Problem Solving Tool.
Whichever application you use it for, consider "Who you're going to show this to" and "What
action do you expect from the person" during composition.
I've made an A3 Report Excel template for you.
You can download the template by clicking on the link in this video’s description.
This is the template.
An A3 report is usually A3 size, which is 11x17 inches in the US.
But when your content volume is small, you may want to use 8.5x11 inches.
Therefore, both the sizes are available in this template.
I have to make a progress report for my client, my wife, Lara, for her process improvement
project, so let's make it together!
What do I expect from her after she reads this report?
Of course, I would like her to understand our project's progress.
Also since some issues have come out for the system development, I want to propose our
options and get her decision with this report.
First, type the title of your report, which represents what this report is talking about.
I wrote “Art-Production Process-Improvement Project Progress Report” for now.
If you can’t think of a good title right now, put a tentative name since you can change
it anytime.
The next step is to write a ‘Background and Purpose’.
Write why this project started.
If you’ve created a project charter, you can copy and paste the text from your charter.
I’ve done so.
Since these boxes are Excel Shapes, they are sometimes different on the screen and in print,
so check them with Print Preview before printing out.
The following is the ‘Progress and Current Situation.’
You shouldn’t write reasoning or assumptions, but do write facts or what you’ve discovered.
In my report, I listed the milestones that we've completed.
I sometimes see A3 reports that have many sentences and are not clear about which order
to read them.
It's a good idea to use arrows so that readers can follow the arrows to read, like this template.
Contents from this section will vary depending on the purpose of your composition.
Default of this template is for reporting.
Other frequently-used section contents are listed outside the main section.
You can use them interchangeably as needed.
For my composition, I don't need a ‘Goal’ section, so I'll remove it.
In the next section, ‘Root-Cause Analysis’, write the problem that you're facing and analyses
like this: “Current Issue - in order to get accurate costs, you have to record all
of the raw material data in detail”.
I often use the ‘Pros and Cons’ list.
You can show pros and cons of each option side-by-side so that it helps the reader make
a decision.
We have one issue here: it’s hard to put a figure or table in this square.
For this, I highly recommend using the snipping tool that was introduced in an earlier video.
Make a figure or table in another place or even another program, then snip it and paste
it on the template.
After this you'll write your future plan.
The section names are ‘Action Plan’ and ‘Execution Schedule’.
I used a table format here too.
A tip is to utilize lists, tables and charts effectively and make your report easy to read
and to grasp the whole picture of your content.
Since I would like to use the ‘Proposal / Inquiry’ section, I‘ll bring it over
from outside.
You can prompt your readers for their next action.
You may want to put a budget proposal in and ask for approval.
I wrote “Please choose either ‘Full Management method’ or ‘Simple Management method’.
If you have any issues either of the options, please let me know." and I will ask Lara for
her decision.
This is the completion of my A3 Report.
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