We’ll discuss an essential tip for writing reports and proposals.
I’ll also introduce the A3 Report that Toyota created.
[Intro Video]
Hi, this is Mike Negami, Lean Sigma Black Belt.
As business people, we have many occasions to write reports, proposals and business plans.
There is a common very important preparation you should always make before writing them.
This preparation is to identify clearly "Who will read your writing" and “What actions
you expect from them after they read it."
Then, start writing while keeping them in mind.
For example, whether you're writing for your boss, your direct reports or investors, the
way you write or expressions you use will change depending on your target audience even
though it’s for the same project.
Each party has different situations and different interests regarding your proposal, and the
actions that you expect from them are very different.
Therefore, it's imperative to identify clearly "Who will read your writing" and “What actions
you expect from them" before writing it.
It sounds very basic, but be sure to practice this.
It’ll help you find great insight.
On another topic, I do LinkedIn and I've seen people talk about A3 Reports very often lately.
We use A3 Reports for the following applications: 1) As a report form to report your project's
progress 2) As a proposal form to get approval from
your company 3) As a problem-solving tool to analyze issues
that you’re facing and think of solution ideas.
When we hear "report", do you think of a multiple-page report that is hard to write and read for
both parties?
In Toyota, everyone from newbies to executives has been required to write reports a piece
of A3 sized paper.
That is the origin of this name, A3 Report.
The A3 size is about the same as 11 by 17 inches.
This has contributed to Toyota producing many great people.
A piece of A3 paper has limited space, but that is a good thing.
You cannot write extra things, only important things.
To do so, you have to think and understand your own content more deeply.
Also, since the available number of characters you can use is few, you have to write your
story well, otherwise your audience cannot understand your point well, so you have to
develop your writing skill.
That’s Toyota’s aim - to cultivate their employees' abilities by requiring the use
of the A3 Report for all of them.
The reader side also benefits from this: they can understand your contents in no time.
Toyota has monthly new-car progress meetings and each time about 50 A3 Reports are submitted
and discussed.
All meeting participants read and understand the subject matter quickly.
They can spend their time on only the important points for discussions and making decisions.
Indeed, this is Toyota.
Their meeting method has no waste and is very efficient.
They also improve their employees' abilities at the same time.
Additionally, they've expanded and shared their best practices such as this A3 Report
with us.
Their A3 Report method has been utilized more in the US than in Japan.
I made this A3 Report template for you.
I'll share the template with you in the next episode.
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