1. EVALUATION OF COUNTERMEASURES PDCA
Title
Reference
Date
Owner
Coach
Explain the problem context
Explain how the problem was discovered
Explain why the problem is in conflict with the company’s goals or is relevant to fix.
BACKGROUND PDCA
EVALUATION OF COUNTERMEASURES PDCA
After the root cause is well established and agreed, work with peers to develop several potential countermeasures.
Consider each countermeasure one by one, and evaluate the impacts of implementation of each.
For example:
Q: Expected effectiveness toward the target, risks
D: Possible implementation date
C: Cost to implement and unit or operational costs
F: How will performance / efficiency be affected
Other, depending on the situation
Gather facts as much as possible. Calculate, simulate, experiment.
Don’t rush to a solution. Take time to evaluate with input from peers & stakeholders.
Strive for a fact-based decision as to what to implement as the solution to the problem.
Record here the decided countermeasures, relevant decision governance, and if not directly obvious, why the justification behind the descision(s).
Fact-based understanding of the current state using quantitative measures and data
Provide clear evidence without discussing potential causes.
Include timeline and severity view if relevant.
Go to see for yourself. Discuss with those affected. Confirm with stakeholders.
Be visual in your explanation.
CURRENT SITUATION PDCA
Set a clear, measureable goal for the new state, with target value(s).
Be clear on how the performance will be measured.
Why was the specific target value chosen? Confirm it with stakeholders.
PURPOSE and TARGET PDCA
The most important phase of an effective problem solving process, the purpose of this section is to develop a solid understanding of the base cause or causes that lead to the undesired effect.
Develop factual, measureable evidence of the cause / effect relationship to the greatest extent possible.
Depending on the nature and the scale of the problem, select an appropriate Root Cause Analysis technique (ref GDI and Perfrom Root Cause Analysis):
5 why
Ishikawa (fish-bone)
Fault tree
(others)
Discuss periodically with your peers and cross-functional experts – their input is extremely valuable.
Be appropriately thorough, in proportion to the magnitude of the problem.
ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS ref GDI PDCA
Focus on the actions to implement the decided solutions
Describe at a high level the actions to be taken, by whom, and by when.
Insert a table to track completion of tasks.
ACTION PLAN PDCA
Collect data and verify the measures against the targets set.
Add actions as necessary to reach the desired target.
Confirm results with stakeholders
FOLLOWUP PDCA
Identify how to prevent recurrence of the issue
Implement standardization in process descriptions
Inform about the changes to affected as appropriate
Work with appropriate network to have DVG updated where applicable.
STANDARDIZE PDCA

2. Practical Information
Basics
The A3 is not a template, but a working document, constantly updated until the problem is solved.
A true A3 problem solving to address a significant problem is a journey that can take several months.
The coach is there to mentor you throughout the problem solving, not to help you solve the problem
Use visual elements and tables for simplicity of understanding.
Present facts as much as possible.
Practical Information
Do not change header names.
Adjust section sizes as needed (see below).
Inserting a text box may be helpful to arrange information in combination with visual elements.
To adjust section size (without impact to headers):
Each column is a table.
To adjust the size of the different boxes drag in the bottom border of each text area.
The following cursor symbol should be shown when adjusting the size:
Click and drag the bottom border to adjust size of each box
To Print:
From PRINT tab, Use Printer Properties to set paper size to A3 (or 11x17).
To reduce the margin size, from the Print tab select Full Scale Pages  Scale to Fit Paper.
NOTE: When using the A3 for solving a problem registered in DTL 3C Process:
Save the A3 locally in your group’s team place or in your computer until it has been steered in.
When it has been steered in, register the issue in the 3C tool and attach the A3 document.
Save the file as a MS PPT presentation: “[Reference ID] [Issue Title] [Version]”
Delete this INSTRUCTION PAGE before final storage