A successful A3 can show that the root cause is beyond the ability of the organization to change like in the above example where there wasn’t enough market demand for the product. Solving the root cause can be the end result of a successful A3. When an A3 fails it is usually because the group didn’t delve deep enough into the problem or that the problem was beyond the ability of the team to solve or recognize. If the countermeasure changes the metrics in the Plan phase, the group then should either scale-up the countermeasure to solve the root cause or adapt the countermeasure to more directly address what the group has learned through the experiment. A countermeasure is an experiment that tests your root cause. Further inquiry helped pinpoint a more detailed root cause.Ī root cause is a hypothesis. In the above example, “people think the Team is lazy” doesn’t have any granularity. And, third it will have a certain amount of specificity. Second, root causes also tend to be actionable, meaning that the group will have an idea how to approach the specific challenge. Here are a few characteristics to help guide your process: first, a root cause will resonate with stakeholders. In the above example, the Product Owner role has broken down, managers are probably talking to the team outside of their scope and the organization’s incentives are flawed.įinding a root cause is a bit of an art. There will likely be multiple root causes to a problem. (There are other root cause analysis techniques. Another good rule of thumb is that once the group thinks it has discovered the root causes, they should then put in again as much time as they’ve just spent. Often the stakeholders think they have arrived at a few root causes only to have to repeat the process later. It is really important to invest a lot of time here. Root causes can be found three or seven layers deep. The point of the exercise is to get at least five layers deep into any problem. Here is an example:Ī: The Team is getting mixed messages from the Product Owner.Ī: The Product Owner is getting conflicting orders from two managers.Ī: The organization incentivizes competition rather than cooperation. Basically, the group needs to start with the most obvious problem and ask why. It sounds very high minded, but quality root cause analysis actually requires channeling your inner five-year old. Establishing the problem and what life will be like after the problem is solved is relatively easy, agreeing on what the root causes are may involve some uncomfortable truths. The last part of the planning phase is root cause analysis (see video) and this is the core of the A3. It is important to have a well-defined target condition because it will help align all stakeholders around a common vision. (The ideal state is similar to an Acceptance Test or Definition of Done for a Product Backlog Item.) Metrics are helpful here as well. Next, the group should decide on what the ideal outcome will be when the problem is solved. The important part is that they are precise and measurable. Loss of revenue is always helpful because it gets management’s attention but any number of metrics will do. It is important to make sure that the group is able to include some Metrics in this cell. This will be a list of symptoms like decreased Velocity or poor morale. With the background established, the discussion moves on to establishing the current conditions. Often, the background is a macro problem that affects multiple parts of the Scrum process. The A3 is a process so even if the problem is obvious, it is important to discuss it and make sure everyone is literally on the same page. It is important that all stakeholders participate in this phase so everyone involved has a clear idea of what the problem is. As a result, mentors review the document frequently with the learner during the problem solving process, ultimately resulting in better countermeasures, development of the learner’s thinking / skills, and on a broader scale, problem solving / improvement as a core competency within an organization.The first cell is used to describe the background of the problem. A3 problem solving provides a powerful method for problem solvers to transform their knowledge from tacit to explicit, making it visible to others. The value and the emphasis of the A3 process is intended to be placed on the thinking that goes into the creation of the documents, which is difficult. The “tool” itself is simple, but don’t let that deceive you. Typically the document will feature spaces for the problem solver to communicate the following information about the problem they are solving: and that’s the whole point! A3 Problem Solving: What is an A3?Īn A3 is simply a single sheet of paper with a sequence of blank sections on which a learner documents their problem solving efforts. As John Shook originally stated, “ A3s are deceptively simple”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |