Free training deck
Updated · About 60 minutes
A3 problem solving training presentation
An A3 report is one sheet of paper that tells the story of a problem, from what is wrong to whether the fix worked. This free deck teaches it to a team in about 60 minutes. Its 20 editable slides cover what an A3 is, the seven boxes one at a time, the three kinds of A3, how to write the sheet, the coach's role, a good A3 against a weak one, an illustrative example worked across two slides, the common mistakes and where A3 fits next to 8D. They include a 30-minute exercise to draft an A3 on a real problem and four check questions with answers. Every slide has speaker notes.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
The title A3 problem solving, one sheet, seven boxes, one owner, on a navy background with the LeanSuite logo.A look inside
What is in the 20 slides
For team leaders, supervisors, engineers, quality and continuous improvement staff, and the managers who coach them. Widescreen, in plain language, with speaker notes on every slide.
Slide 4: The seven boxes of an A3 report 
Slide 13: Example: an A3 for rejected seals, boxes 1 to 4 
Slide 17: Try it: draft an A3 on a real problem
- 1A3 problem solving: one sheet, seven boxes, one ownerCover
- 2AgendaWhat an A3 is and the three kinds · The seven boxes, one at a time · Writing the sheet and coaching it · Two example slides, mistakes and where A3 fits · An exercise: draft an A3 on a real problem, then check questions
- 3What an A3 isAn A3 is one sheet of paper that tells the story of a problem, from what is wrong to whether the fix worked.
- 4The seven boxes of an A3 reportBackground, Current condition, Goal, Root cause analysis, Countermeasures, Implementation plan, Follow-up
- 5Boxes 1 and 2: background and conditionSay why the problem matters, then show where things stand today.
- 6Box 3: the goalA goal says how much better, by when, measured the same way as the current condition.
- 7Box 4: root cause analysisFind why the gap exists, and prove it.
- 8Boxes 5 to 7: countermeasures to follow-upThe right side of the sheet turns the cause into action and checks the result.
- 9Writing the sheetThe page limit is the point. It forces facts over opinions.
- 10The coach's roleAn A3 is a conversation between an owner and a coach. The sheet guides it.
- 11Three kinds of A3Sobek and Smalley describe three kinds. This deck teaches the problem-solving A3.
- 12A good A3 and a weak A3A good A3 and a weak a3
- 13Example: an A3 for rejected seals, boxes 1 to 4Illustrative plant and numbers.
- 14Example: the same A3, boxes 5 to 7Illustrative plant and numbers, continued.
- 15Common mistakesWriting the A3 after the project is done, as a report, instead of as the way you work through the problem.
- 16A3 or 8DBoth are structured problem solving. They suit different problems.
- 17Try it: draft an A3 on a real problemA 30-minute team activity
- 18Check your understanding4 check questions
- 19AnswersThe answers, to discuss
- 20Key points and next stepsNext: choose one problem and draft its A3 this week.
The 60-minute session, slide by slide
- Slides, about: 30 minutes
- Activity (slide 17): 30 minutes
Present · 16 slides
- 1A3 problem solving: one sheet, seven boxes, one owner
- 2Agenda
- 3What an A3 is
- 4The seven boxes of an A3 report
- 5Boxes 1 and 2: background and condition
- 6Box 3: the goal
- 7Box 4: root cause analysis
- 8Boxes 5 to 7: countermeasures to follow-up
- 9Writing the sheet
- 10The coach's role
- 11Three kinds of A3
- 12A good A3 and a weak A3
- 13Example: an A3 for rejected seals, boxes 1 to 4
- 14Example: the same A3, boxes 5 to 7
- 15Common mistakes
- 16A3 or 8D
Do the activity · 1 slide
- 17Try it: draft an A3 on a real problem
Check and follow up · 3 slides
- 18Check your understanding
- 19Answers
- 20Key points and next steps
About 30 minutes of slides and 30 minutes of activity. Present: slides 1 to 16 (A3 problem solving: one sheet, seven boxes, one owner; Agenda; What an A3 is; The seven boxes of an A3 report; Boxes 1 and 2: background and condition; Box 3: the goal; Box 4: root cause analysis; Boxes 5 to 7: countermeasures to follow-up; Writing the sheet; The coach's role; Three kinds of A3; A good A3 and a weak A3; Example: an A3 for rejected seals, boxes 1 to 4; Example: the same A3, boxes 5 to 7; Common mistakes; A3 or 8D). Do the activity: slide 17 (Try it: draft an A3 on a real problem). Check and follow up: slides 18 to 20 (Check your understanding; Answers; Key points and next steps).
How to run it
Running the session
- 1
Prepare
Read the speaker notes once and swap the illustrative example for one from your own area if you have it. Print the PDF if people like a handout.
- 2
Present
The slides take about 30 minutes. Every slide has notes, so you can talk from them rather than read the slide.
- 3
Do the activity
Pick a real problem in your area and one owner for the sheet. Divide a sheet of paper into the seven boxes. The activity slide takes the team through it step by step; allow 30 minutes.
- 4
Check and follow up
Ask the check questions before showing the answers, then agree one next step with an owner and a date before people leave.
The check questions
- 1. What are the seven boxes of an A3 report, in order?
- Background, current condition, goal, root cause analysis, countermeasures, implementation plan and follow-up.
- 2. Why is 'buy a new machine' a poor goal?
- It is a solution, not a result. A goal says how much better, by when, measured the same way as the current condition.
- 3. What does the coach do when reviewing an A3?
- Asks questions box by box until the owner sees the gaps, rather than solving the problem for them.
- 4. When would you use an 8D instead of an A3?
- For a customer complaint, a supplier problem or a serious repeat that needs a team, containment and a formal report.
Templates and guides to go with it
- A3 problem solving templateThe standard seven-box A3 from background to follow-up, with a filled-in worked example. PDF and Excel.
- PDCA templateOne improvement cycle on one page: plan, do, check against the goal, then standardize or adjust. PDF and Excel.
- Topic: Root cause analysis and problem solvingEvery guide we have on the subject, sorted.
- Topic: Kaizen and continuous improvementEvery guide we have on the subject, sorted.
Read more
- A3 problem solving: every box of the sheet with a filled plant example
- A3 examples: three worked A3 reports, with a coach's notes
- Managing to Learn by John Shook: our summary of the book on coaching through an A3
- A3 Thinking: Beyond the Template in Manufacturing
- 5 Whys training deck: the method for box 4, root cause analysis
- Continuous improvement software in LeanSuite: built-in A3, DMAIC and PDCA templates, with projected and actual savings for each project
Terms in this deck
After the session
Put it on the wall
Free printable poster on the same subject, so the team sees it every day: a PNG to download now, and print-ready PDFs from Letter to 24 x 36 in.
FAQ
A3 problem solving training presentation: common questions
A one-page report, on A3 paper (297 by 420 mm), that tells the story of a problem, a proposal or a project in plan, do, check, act order. Toyota pioneered it. The owner writes it, takes it to the floor and rewrites it as they learn, and a coach reviews it box by box.
Background, current condition, goal, root cause analysis, countermeasures, implementation plan and follow-up. The first four describe the problem and its cause. The last three say what will be done, by whom and by when, and whether the result met the goal.
An A3 is owned by one person and coached by a leader, and it suits internal problems, improvements and proposals. An 8D is a team method with eight disciplines, containment and a formal report, and customers often ask for it after a complaint.
About 60 minutes: roughly 30 minutes of slides, a 30-minute exercise to draft an A3 on a real problem, and the check questions.
No. A3 is the paper size that gave the method its name, but the point is one page that tells the whole story. A4 or a landscape printout works if that is what you have.
Yes. The PowerPoint file is fully editable, including the speaker notes. Many teams replace the seal reject example with a recent problem from their own plant.
More free training decks
- 5S training presentationSort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain in 16 slides, with a 15-minute sort activity and a quiz.View deck
- Kaizen training presentationWhat kaizen is, its principles, PDCA and four steps to a first improvement in 17 slides, with an activity and a quiz.View deck
- Autonomous maintenance training presentation: the 7 stepsThe 7 steps of jishu hozen, who does what and how step audits work, in 19 slides with notes and a quiz.View deck
- 8 wastes of lean training presentationValue vs waste, the 8 wastes (TIMWOODS) with examples, muda, mura and muri and a waste walk, in 17 slides.View deck
- Gemba walk training presentationGo see, ask why, show respect: how to plan, run and follow up a gemba walk, in 16 slides with a practice walk.View deck
- Root cause analysis training presentation: 5 whys and fishboneDefine, contain, the 5 whys, the fishbone diagram and verifying the cause, in 18 slides with a team activity.View deck
- TPM training presentation: the 8 pillarsWhat TPM is, the six big losses, OEE and the 8 pillars, in 19 slides with a loss-spotting activity.View deck
- Manufacturing excellence pillars training presentationThe 20 pillars, cost deployment, the 7-step approach, model areas and audits, in 17 slides.View deck
- Obeya room training presentationWhat an obeya is, what goes on its walls and how to run the meetings, in 15 slides with a design activity.View deck
- DMAIC training presentationDefine, measure, analyze, improve and control, with the main tools of each phase, in 16 slides.View deck
- SMED training presentationInternal and external setup, the four SMED stages and how to halve a changeover, in 16 slides.View deck
- FMEA training presentationDFMEA and PFMEA, severity, occurrence and detection, RPN and action priority, in 16 slides.View deck
- Kanban training presentationPull instead of push: how a kanban loop works, the card types, the rules and how to size it, in 16 slides.View deck
- Lockout tagout (LOTO) training presentationHazardous energy, lockout versus tagout and the six steps in order, with a walk-round activity, in 17 slides.View deck
- Quality management system (QMS) training presentationWhat a quality management system is, the ISO 9001 clauses, procedures and records, corrective action and audits, in 18 slides.View deck
- SPC and Cpk training presentationCommon and special cause variation, X-bar and R limits, reading signals, Cp and Cpk, with worked numbers, in 19 slides.View deck
- MSA and Gage R&R training presentationThe five measurement properties, how a gage R&R study works, %GRR and ndc with worked numbers, and attribute gauges, in 19 slides.View deck
- PPAP and APQP training presentationThe five APQP phases, gates, the 18 PPAP elements, the five submission levels and the capability criteria, in 19 slides.View deck
- OEE training presentationHow to calculate OEE and read the six big losses in 19 slides, with one worked shift, a 20-minute exercise and a quiz.View deck
- Leader standard work training presentationWhat leader standard work is, the routine at each level, five steps to build it and how to keep it going, in 19 slides with an exercise and a quiz.View deck
- Daily management and tier meetings training presentationTier meetings, boards, huddles and escalation in 19 slides, with a worked example, a 20-minute huddle exercise and a quiz.View deck
- 5 Whys training presentationOhno's machine example, how to ask good whys, when to stop and where the method falls short, in 20 slides with a team exercise.View deck
- Poka-yoke (mistake-proofing) training presentationMistakes versus defects, the contact, fixed-value and motion-step methods, control and warning devices and how to design and test one, in 18 slides.View deck
- Layered process audit (LPA) training presentationWhat a layered process audit is, the layers, how to write and ask good questions, handle a no and read the results, in 19 slides.View deck
- Standard work training presentationTakt time, work sequence and standard WIP, how to write a standard with the operators and how to keep it alive, in 18 slides.View deck
- Value stream mapping (VSM) training presentationHow to map the current state, read lead time, design the future state with the eight questions and turn it into a plan, in 19 slides.View deck
- TWI job instruction training presentationThe four steps of TWI job instruction and the job breakdown sheet, from the original wartime card, with a worked example and a practice session.View deck
- 8D problem solving training presentationD0 to D8, containment, the root cause and the escape point, proving a fix and preventing repeats, in 20 slides with a team exercise.View deck
- Forklift safety training presentationOperator training rules, stability and load center, travel and dock rules and the daily exam, each tied to 29 CFR 1910.178, in 20 slides.View deck
- Hazard communication (HazCom, GHS) training presentationLabels, the eight GHS pictograms, the 16 SDS sections, employee training and the 2026 and 2028 dates, each tied to 29 CFR 1910.1200, in 20 slides.View deck
- New-hire safety orientation training presentationA day-one safety orientation for plants and warehouses: reporting, emergencies, PPE, chemicals, machines and trucks, with the OSHA paragraph behind each, in 17 slides.View deck
- 4M change management training presentationMan, machine, material and method changes, rating the risk, extra checks, the change point board and closing a change, in 19 slides.View deck
Training is the start. Keeping it going is the hard part.
See how plants run their audits, improvements and follow-ups in LeanSuite, on a call built around your own problem.
Book a 45-minute demo