Managing to Learn: Using the A3 Management Process to Solve Problems, Gain Agreement, Mentor and Lead Paperback – January 1, 2008

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read dozens of lean books, so the jargon all seemed familiar to me. The 8 ½” x 11” A3 report is just a tool. Tools are there to implement a philosophy or method of thinking and action. A spark plug wrench won’t change your sparkplugs. It is indispensable for a knowledgeable mechanic who wants to do this task. You have mechanistic managers who believe in a clockwork world where you just turn the crank. You also have lean (holistic) managers who believe the world is a living, changing system and needs to be dealt with in all that complexity. Lean and A3s are squarely in the lean, living system view. The mechanistic manager wants to jump right to solutions and creating schedules and budgets. Implementation details are for subordinates. The lean manager wants to thoroughly understand the problem (or project) down to root causes. This involves the scientific method (Observation, Classification, Hypothesis, Testing, Reflection), Plan, Do, Check, Act, Root Cause Analysis, the 5 Why’s, nemawashi (consensus among involved parties) and Genchi Genbutsu (go to the place where value is created and look and learn, violates the mechanistic chain of command). There is no one best solution, just the best for your specific needs. Mechanistic managers believe that the organization chart determines authority. Lean managers believe that responsibility determines authority. The A3 report developed by the lean manager sets out the goal, the research, the methods to solve the problem or implement the project. It is a living document that will be edited over and over. Methods are important. You want to lose 20 lbs. and your method is to eat 1500 calories a day. Update weekly. Goals without methods are weak. You want to be an A student and your method is … Mechanistic managers will be delighted that schedules and budgets are produced and are expected to be met.

John Shook has written a solid book that can stand proudly alongside the other books in the Lean Enterprise Institute's lineup. This book is especially useful for those new to lean who want to understand the nuts and bolts of how the A3 management system works. Most people new to lean begin applying the tools without a full appreciation of the management system or the real thinking that goes on behind it. Without these supporting mechanisms, people's efforts at lean deployment generate small results and sustainment is poor. A3s are one of the key tools to successful deployment.As with other books in the LEI lineup, this book is very readable. The illustrations are simple, the examples are straightforward, and the text is well-edited and well-structured. This book takes a fictional company as an example. As one who helps teach others, the narrative style has irritated me because authors frequently use it in a pure storytelling format. Books like these often have little instructional value because they are difficult to study from. Managing to Learn tells a company's example story, but it also explains and discusses the narrative events in a second column of text in the margin. Its almost like your floating above the players with your sensei, hearing the thoughts of the actors and an explanation by your lean leader. Combined with sidebar comments and uncluttered illustrations, the layout and style of this book make it a rich reference and a great study and teaching tool.As the book points out, there are a number of ways A3s can be used, and Managing to Learn shows examples of each. The theme linking all of these together is the systematic problem solving thinking that is at the heart of A3 thinking.I am a consultant and I currently manage a consortium of over 50 companies working together to become lean organizations. For a number of reasons, I have made the preparation of A3s for every kaizen improvement event a MANDATORY requirement for all my clients and consortium members. One of the key results of doing so is that it gets people oriented from day one understanding that lean is more than just using tools - you are solving problems, and going from problem, through analysis, down to root causes, and on to a plan that you implement and check, is the structured thinking that A3s create.I recommend this book highly, and it is now on the short list of required reading I endorse for anyone using lean tools and principles.

A good friend recommended this book late last year. I bought it and have skimmed it a few times; getting a general flavor. At his recent prompting, I sat down and read it through---and I'm glad I did. There is much to learn from Mr. Shook's able description of the A3 process and he teaches using a method similar to that used in The Goal---however, this is much better. There are a few moments when the scenarios seemed a bit contrived, but the point was made. I plan to re-read and put into action in several areas of interest. This book is highly recommended.

Excellent book