Stanford University

General Motors

Ford

Toyota

Agile Development Cycle

Waterfall Model

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)

Goal

Current Condition

Countermeasures

Follow-up

To assign tasks to team members for implementation.

To provide context and explain why the problem is important to solve.

To list the potential solutions to the problem.

To detail the specific, measurable goal of the project.

Academic and healthcare challenges.

Student admissions and alumni relations.

Manufacturing and supply chain logistics.

Software development and IT services.

SWOT Analysis

Gantt Chart

5 Whys

RACI Matrix

Standardize the solution.

Create an implementation plan.

Re-define the problem statement.

Monitor the results.

To reward the team for their success.

To complete the final A3 report for management.

To find a new problem to solve.

To prevent the organization from reverting to old processes.

Broad and aspirational.

Determined solely by senior leadership.

Focused only on reducing costs.

Specific, measurable, and time-bound.

Facilitate a shared understanding of the problem-solving story.

Replace the need for team meetings and discussions.

Make the document more attractive for presentations.

False

True

Potential solutions to the problem.

Categories of potential causes for a problem.

The sequential steps in the process.

The members of the problem-solving team.