【精益英文】什么是A3问题解决法?

【精益英文】什么是A3问题解决法?

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今天分享的是精益英文,主题是:什么是A3问题解决法?-What is the A3 Problem Solving Method,正文约2000字,欢迎阅读与分享!如对译文有建议,或者需要额外分享本文语音,请直接联系微信puliangyuan,谢谢!

正文:

The A3 problem solving method, like many other concepts related to Lean manufacturing, originated at Toyota and saw active use at the organization for a long time. The name is relatively simple to use and very intuitive for leaders who already have at least some experience in the area of lean, and it’s seen many applications since its original inception.

和许多其他的与精益生产有关的理念一样,A3问题解决方法,也是起源于日本的丰田汽车公司,并被发现在丰田得以长期的积极的使用。A3问题解决方法,使用起来相对比较简单,对于已经在精益生产领域有一定的经验的领导者而言非常简单,自从A3问题解决方法创建以来,其已得到大量的运用。

Basic Idea

基本思路

The standard way of implementing the A3 method is with a specific chart drawn up on a sheet of A3 paper, which is also where the method gets its name from. The chart is flexible in its design and can be adapted to various different industries and styles of work, but its elements remain pretty much the same across the board. The only difference is in the way they are combined with each other, as some organizations might choose to omit specific parts of the chart.

实施A3方法的标准方法,就是在一页A3纸上绘制一张特定的图表,而这也是该方法名字来源的地方。图表在设计上具有灵活性,可以适用于各种不同行业和不同风格的工作,但其内容在整体上几乎是完全一样的。唯一的区别在于,它们之间的组合方式,因为,一些组织可能会选择省略A3图表中的特定部分。

Each step of the process is categorized under several major groups, which are used to split the solution into discrete general parts. Generally, you can split the process into four steps:

在几大主要部分之下,流程的每个步骤都被分门别类,这些主要部分,用于将解决方案分解为互不关联的通用部分。一般来说,可以将流程分成四大步骤:

PLAN – develop a basic plan for addressing the problem and identify each individual step required for adequate planning

计划-制定一个解决问题的基本方案,并确定适当的计划所需要的每个步骤。

DO – put the plan into action and implement all necessary changes in your organization

执行-实施计划,在组织内,推行必要的变更

CHECK – verify the results of your solution and make sure that you’ve actually made a positive impact on the company

检查-确认解决方案的结果,确保实际上已经对公司做出积极的影响

ACT – ensure that successful solutions are spread with the appropriate parties that can benefit from them in the future

处理-确保成功的解决方案被合适的相关方所推广,而且在将来可以从中收益

Additional Details

额外的细节

While the four steps mentioned above outline the general process, a typical A3 chart would have more steps than that, typically around eight. For example, the planning stage can be separated into three or even more unique stages – identifying the requirements for the current solution, identifying the points of the organization that will be affected by the implementation, figuring out the root cause, and so on.

以上提到的四个步骤,概括了一般的流程,一个典型的A3图表,将有比这更多的步骤,通常在八个步骤左右。例如,计划阶段,可以分为三个甚至更为独特的阶段——确定当前解决方案的需求,确定组织在执行方面所受到影响的点,找出根本原因,等等。

How you’re going to split up those steps is up to you, but it’s important to think of the future and always do this separation in a way that allows you to reuse the chart in case of another problematic situation later on.

怎么样拆分这些步骤取决于你自己,但重要的是要考虑到未来,并始终以一种可以重复使用该图表的方式进行这种拆分,以防以后出现另外一个有问题的情况。

For example, not all companies need to put a lot of effort into the ACT stage of the solution, as sometimes the implementation will be done in the only department that’s affected by it, and nobody else needs to know the exact details of how the problem was solved. After all, sharing too much information can be just as counterproductive as sharing too little, and you should avoid burdening departments with irrelevant details that don’t matter in their current work.

例如,并不是所有的公司都需要在解决方案的处理阶段去投入大量的精力,因为,有时候执行将在唯一受其影响的部门得以完成,而其他的人无需知道解决问题的确切的细节。毕竟,分享太多的信息与分享太少的信息,只能会适得其反,你应该避免给无所关联的部门以负担,因为这对于他们当前的工作而言是无足轻重的。

Refining the Method in the Future

未来的改善方法

Once you’ve successfully implemented the A3 method in your organization a few times, you may start to notice some common points that affect how well it works in the specific context of your operations. 

一旦有几次在组织中成功地推行A3方法,你就可能开始注意到某些共同点,这些点会影响到特定情况下的操作的效果。

With enough time, you’ll build up some experience and intuition in this area, and you’ll start to identify some patterns in the way A3 is being applied.

有了充足的时间,你将在这一领域集聚一些经验和直觉,并且你将开始识别出A3在应用方面的一些套路。

In the end, you’ll likely come up with a version of A3 that’s fine-tuned for your specific organization and even perhaps some departments, and as long as you keep that version tuned to any new developments in the company, you should see good results in the long run.

最后,你可能会想出一个版本的A3,这对特定组织,甚至是某些部门都是很好的调整,只要你把这个版本调整到公司的任何新的进展方面,你就应该看到长远的良好的结果。

Don’t Forget the Alternatives

别忘了其余的选择

Another important detail that you shouldn’t forget is that A3 is just one of many problem-solving techniques, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the ideal one for each type of problem that arises in your organization. A good leader will take a lot of time to familiarize themselves with the current trends in the field of problem-solving methodologies, and will always stay up to date on new developments.

另一个你不应该忘记的重要的细节是:A3方法,只是许多解决问题的方法之一,而对于组织中出现的每一项问题而言,A3方法,未必就是必须的。一个好的领导者,会花费大量的时间来熟悉伴随当前趋势的解决问题方法,并且总是对新的进展保持最新的了解。

Conclusion

结论

The A3 method is a great tool once you grasp the idea of its usage, and while some situations definitely call for an alternative approach and A3 is not the ideal solution in those cases, solid knowledge of this particular methodology is still an incredibly useful asset to have in your toolkit. Even if you don’t end up using it a lot, simply familiarizing yourself with the fundamentals of its operation can open your eyes to some general high-level concepts in workplace organization and optimization.

A3方法,是一个很好的工具,一旦你掌握了它的使用的思想,虽然有些情况下肯定需要另一种选择的方法,而A3在那些情况下,并不是理想的解决方案,但是A3这种具有扎实知识基础的方法,仍然是工具箱中非常有用的一大方法。即使,最终你怎么使用它,只要熟悉A3解决方法的工作原理,就可以让你在工作场所的组织和优化方面的一些高级概念上得以扩宽眼界。

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【精益英文】什么是A3问题解决法?