標題：

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

如何使用A3報告：發(fā)展架構化的問題解決和領導技能的資源（本篇文章為中英文對照）

全文總計3293字，需閱讀9分鐘，以下為正文：

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.

隨著7月份“遠程學習管理”研討會的即將召開，這似乎是回顧我們最受歡迎的文章之一的好時機，這是一篇有助于您發(fā)展正確的A3思維的摘要性文章。

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報告已成為當今最流行的精益工具之一，是員工和團隊共同解決問題的一種方式，對其廣泛采用在精益術語中很容易被認為是一個問題。

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.”

工具的使用通常為精益實踐的入門提供動力，而A3報告又往往會帶來立竿見影的效果。根據(jù)Jim Womack（吉姆·沃麥克）的說法，A3的“問題”(即預期目的和實際使用之間的差距)回應了廣泛采用任何行之有效的TPS方法所面臨的更廣泛的挑戰(zhàn)：即從精益工具轉(zhuǎn)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極好的，也是絕對必要的。管理者們喜歡工具，因為它們似乎為把工作做得更好提供了捷徑。但是，如果管理者沒有用精益的思維運用它們，他們就無法實現(xiàn)潛在的結果，也常常無法達成任何目標?！?/p>

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).

讓我們牢記使用A3報告的目的，在約翰·舒克（John Shook）老師的著作《學習型管理：培養(yǎng)領導團隊的A3管理方法》導言中進行了介紹。

'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.”

編寫A3報告是學習A3流程的第一步，也是學會如何學習的第一步。當A3編寫者采用這種方法時，可以期待會提高解決問題、決策和溝通能力。

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.”

看起來似乎一切順利！但不幸的是，大多數(shù)組織都止步于此，沒有繼續(xù)下一步。正如舒克（ Shook）所警告的那樣，“除非更廣泛的組織接受更廣泛的流程，否則更大的利益將無法實現(xiàn)。整個努力可能會退化為“復選框”作業(yè)，因為A3將加入沒用過的SPC圖表、被忽略的標準化工作表單，以及被忽略的價值流圖，而成為公司的墻紙?！?/p>

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報告到底是什么呢？A3報告是一種構建和共享知識的方式，使團隊及其成員能夠踐行科學思維，從而共同發(fā)現(xiàn)和學習。通過幫助人們構建和設計更有效的問題解決方法(以可解決的方式構建問題，采用基于數(shù)據(jù)的方法，使用根因分析來找到問題的根源(差距)，鼓勵對問題進行仔細分析而不是快速得出“解決方案”等)，從而帶來立竿見影的好處。

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.”

其定義包括:

-故事板

-5S信息

-標準化的描述

-“解決問題的思維過程的可視化表示，包括問題所有者和組織中其他人之間的持續(xù)對話“

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就是這些，甚至更多。本質(zhì)上，A3報告以國際尺寸的A3紙張（大約11英寸乘17英寸的較大頁）命名，使組織中的人們可以通過通用模板來識別問題，使員工可以通過相同的視角來看待問題。該順序是按照精益思維的核心PDCA循環(huán)的科學思維的邏輯設計。

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.

從這種格式獲取到的基本思維過程相對簡單，并且已經(jīng)以許多其他形式和格式存在很長時間了。根據(jù)不同情況，有不同類型的A3報告，但是不要花費太多精力去尋找準確的A3報告格式。事實上，像David Verble這樣的資深人士強調(diào)，A3的重要性不是編寫而是通過A3如何思考問題。

“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.

約翰·舒克（John Shook）在這篇分享他著寫《學習型管理：培養(yǎng)領導團隊的A3管理方法》一書的目的的文章中這樣說，“A3最基本的用途是作為一個簡明的問題解決工具。但是其基本原則和實踐性可以應用于任何組織環(huán)境。鑒于A3作為工具的第一個用途是理解和應對問題的標準化方法，A3鼓勵進行根本原因分析，揭示過程，并以觸發(fā)對話和學習的形式表現(xiàn)目標和行動?！?/p>

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.

毫無疑問，那些有著豐富經(jīng)驗的人在A3實踐中發(fā)現(xiàn)了巨大的力量。例如， Gary Convis說，他“使用A3格式作為一種方式來觀察113名工廠經(jīng)理的內(nèi)心想法”，他引用了自己在達納控股公司（Dana Holdings Corp）的經(jīng)驗，并詳細闡述了如何使用A3思維解決問題來讓思考過程變得清晰可見。

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.

豐田資深人士Tracey Richardson在她的精彩文章《創(chuàng)建一個真正的A3，不僅僅是填充方塊》中分享了有關A3思維過程的非常實用的分步指南。在此過程中，她解釋了A3是“一種具有更深層次受益的思考方式，一種基于PDCA(計劃、執(zhí)行、檢查、調(diào)整)循環(huán)的過程，旨在與組織的其他成員“分享智慧”。Jon Miller最近的一篇文章提供了另一個很棒的A3“漫談”（鏈接：https://blog./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用一篇文章補充了她簡短的用戶指南，文章中建議你通過倒著閱讀你的A3報告來測試你的PDCA思維，以此來避免常見的A3風險——匆忙跳至結論。

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.

當遇到需要解決的問題時，大多數(shù)人都會以最快的速度提供最好的解決方案。然而A3思維的本質(zhì)要求仔細的構建所要解決問題，對一個明確定義的和可改進的“差距”進行嚴格的分析，對問題的根源進行耐心的觀察，并與涉及問題的人進行真正的對話。

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報告的存在是為了獲取和記錄這些材料；它本身并不是一份正式文件。Tracey 說，“如果你是坐在辦公室制作或填寫A3報告，我可以說大多數(shù)時候你都無法回答上面的問題(列出A3的因果邏輯)?！?/p>

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，雖然有不同類型的A3報告，但根據(jù)固特異公司的Norbert Majerus的說法，認識到“并非每種情況都需要A3”是有用的。在用A3報告還是不用A3報告的選擇中，他提出了一個應用情景，避免了一種“萬能”的思維方式。具體來說，他解釋了Dave Snowden and Mary Boone開發(fā)的cynefin問題構建框架是如何幫助人們在不同的情況下運用A3思維的。

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…

有人認為，好的解決問題的方法并不是要有正確的答案，而是要練習一種有用的、被普遍理解的思維方式來思考(學習)。Tracey在《A3思維：是工具還是流程？或者兩者都是……》中說到，永遠不要忽視完成A3報告的思考過程，它是你獲取、交流和構建所學知識的一種方式。

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說，通過“A3思維”來深化這個思考過程，你和你的團隊可以學會激活Daniel Kahneman所說的“快速”和“慢速”思考。他指出：“關鍵是要把A3報告看成是基于專業(yè)知識和教學管理關系的物理支持?！边@是在組織中維持A3思維的一種方式。這種共享的方法可以實現(xiàn)核心精益目標：幫助解決問題的文化扎根。