The A3 Pocket Handbook for Kaizen Events: Providing Any Industry Any Time with A Lean Reporting Format and Lean Thinking

The A3 Pocket Handbook for Kaizen Events allows team members to be literally and figuratively on the same page when participating in an improvement event. This allows more ownership, while at the same time preserving organizational knowledge.

The improvement methodology used (i.e., Six Sigma D-M-A-I-C, PDCA, etc.) will relate to the A3 Report that is conveyed in this publication. (The A3 Report is designed to help you tell the story in a logical and visual way and act as a road map for continuous improvement and problem solving initiatives.)

The purpose of this pocket handbook is to: 1. Ensure all team members have a quick reference for Lean Six Sigma definitions. 2. Compliment, as a mini-workbook, the Practical Lean Six Sigma for Healthcare and The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Guide XL books as well as any other training materials used in an improvement event. 3. Provide a road map for continuous improvement projects if no other methodology (i.e., PDCA, D-M-A-I-C, etc.) is used. 4. Provide Lean Thinking Statement assessments at the end of each section for employees to think Lean and continue their engagement. 5. Be a repository of thoughts, ideas, and any action items that may be assigned, etc. 6. To retain organizational knowledge by being a personal detailed log of the Kaizen Event to be shared and/or referenced later.

Each project (i.e., challenge) uses a variety of Lean Six Sigma tools. No project will require every tool listed in this book or that the same tools be applied in exactly the same order. However, if you follow a structured methodology and use the A3 Report format, you will find projects will become easier to execute - especially as employees understand, learn, and experience success. As your familiarity and experience with applying the A3 Report format increases, so will your ability to effectively select the appropriate tools.

About the Authors

Todd Sperl is an enthusiastic, creative speaker and process improvement expert who looks beyond today s problems to find tomorrow s solutions. As Owner and Managing Partner of Lean Fox Solutions, Todd s vision is to improve the patient care experience from one healthcare touch point to the next. As a Master Black Belt and Lean Sensei, Todd s exceptional track record of process improvement has been based on his philosophy of total enterprise engagement in change. Todd received his BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and an MS in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from St. Mary s University in San Antonio, Texas.

Rob Ptacek is a Partner in the Global Lean Institute and President and CEO of Competitive Edge Training and Consulting, a firm specializing in leader and organizational development, and Lean Enterprise transformations. Rob holds a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College. Rob has held leadership positions in Quality, Sales, and Operations Management, and has over 25 years of practical experience implementing continuous improvements in a variety of industries.

Jayant Trewn is an Industrial Engineer specializing in Quality Systems design, development, implementation, and management. Jayant has accumulated over a decade of experience working in healthcare organizations such as Spectrum Health Medical Group, Beaumont Hospitals, and Lason Systems where he built healthcare delivery process improvement programs based on Lean, Six Sigma, and PDCA concepts. Jayant has authored the book Multivariate Statistical Methods in Quality Engineering and he has been published in international journals. He holds a Doctorate degree in Industrial Engineering from the College of Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA. He earned his MBA in Information Systems at Wayne State University and his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Madras University, India.