用A3方法解决问题，问题出在哪了？

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In a previous post, I presented the idea that problem-solving, although critically important to an organization’s success, is not given the focus it deserves. As a result of this, few problems are addressed effectively, leading organizations to face the same issues again and again.

在之前的一篇文章中，本人提出了这样一个观点：尽管，解决问题对组织的成功至关重要，但我们并没有给予应有的关注。有鉴于此，事实上，很少有问题得到有效的解决，进而导致组织反复面临同样的问题。

Just like learning tennis or golf, improving the ability to solve problems requires three basic elements: (1) the desire to learn; (2) an effective coach; and (3) a lot of practice. This post will focus on the second element, coaching, and how to identify areas in a problem-solving effort where coaching is needed.

诚如学习网球或者高尔夫一样，提高解决问题的能力需要三个基本要素：（1）学习的愿望；（2）有效的辅导；（3）大量的练习。在本文中，将重点介绍第2个要素-辅导，以及如何在需要辅导的地方识别处问题解决的努力领域。

Before digging in to specifics of how to identify the gaps in a problem-solving effort, it is important to note that I use the term “solve” for convenience only because one can never be certain that a problem is truly solved. The best anyone can do is develop and implement countermeasures that appear to address the current situation in a structured and fact-based way.

在深入了解如何识别问题解决努力中的差距之前，重要的是，请注意，这里，我使用“解决”这一术语，只是为了方便，因为我们永远无法确定问题是不是真正得到了解决。我们每个人都能做的最好的事情就是：以结构化和基于事实的方式，来制定和实施看起来能解决当前状态的对策。

The Red Flags

红色标记

The red flags of a problem-solving exercise are based on the Toyota Business Practice (TBP) 8-step problem-solving process (shown above) and uses the A3 to identify the coaching opportunities. Detailed explanation of the 8-steps is readily available on the internet and in numerous books on lean thinking, so I am going to focus more on helping a person or team understand where the effort could be improved.

问题解决练习的红色标记是基于丰田工作方法（TBP）之8步解决问题之流程（如图所示），并使用A3方法来识别辅导机会。关于这8个步骤的详细说明，大家可以在互联网上和诸多精益思想的书籍中找到，因此，这里，我会更多地关注帮助某个人或者团队去了解应该在何处进行改进的层面。

Whenever someone asks for input on a problem-solving A3, I tend to look for the red flags or areas in each section where help is most commonly needed. The key is to help people understand that the process is about investigating, reflecting, and learning, not filling in the form. It is far too common, especially early in a person’s development, to force fit information into the boxes just to appease someone else and show that the process was followed.

The coaching effort must help people realize that following each of the steps as intended will lead to learning and developing countermeasures that have a high likelihood of success. I also keep in mind that, although there is no “right” answer to addressing a problem, there are definitely wrong answers, i.e., those not based on facts and gemba visits. An effective A3 is easy to follow and clearly demonstrates that learning occurred between each step as the team zeroed in on the cause and countermeasures.

在有人要求输入解决问题的A3方法时，个人倾向于在最需要帮助的每一个部分寻找红色标记或者红色区域。帮助人们理解这一流程的关键是关于调查、反思和学习，而不是填表。这确实很常见，尤其是在一个人发展的早期，为了安抚他人并显示这个过程已经被遵循而强制将信息放入长方框中。

辅导方面的努力，必须能帮助人们意识到，按照预期的每一个步骤，会让学习和制定对策成功的可能性变高。我还记得，尽管，解决问题并没有所谓的“正确”的答案，不过，肯定有错误的答案，比如，没有基于事实和现场寻访的解决问题的答案。有效的A3方法，很容易得以跟踪，并且能清楚地表明：当团队在问题原因和对策上集中精力时，每一个步骤之间，我们都能学习。

The figure below is a problem-solving A3 template with the red flags noted in each section. For additional descriptions of the potential problems listed, refer to the summaries of each step below the A3.

下图是解决问题的A3方法模板，每个部分都有红色标记。有关列出的潜在问题的其他描述，请参阅A3方法下面各个步骤的总结。

A3-Red Flags

A3红色标记

Step One: Clarify the Problem

第一步：澄清问题

It is difficult to argue that one step in the process is more important than the others but, since each step builds on the previous step to develop the story, any problems with the first box greatly interfere with the rest of the effort.

One of the most common issues that shows up in box one includes failure to show the importance of the problem by ignoring the connection with higher-level objectives.

Another common problem is using a lot of text to define the problem rather than a simple description or numbers. There is generally an inverse relationship between the amount of text on an A3 and the quality of the effort.

要说这个流程中的某个步骤要比其他的步骤要更重要，这一点确实很难。不过，由于每个步骤都是建立在前一个步骤的基础上的，因此，第一个方框中的任何问题都会对其他部分产生极大地干扰。

在框1中，显示的最常见一大问题，包括，忽略该问题与更高层次目标之间的关联，而未能显示出该问题的重要性。

另一个常见的问题是，使用大量的文字来定义问题，而不是使用简单的描述或者数字。一般情况下，A3上的文字与努力的质量成反比关系。

Many people also tend to confuse a root cause with a problem statement. The problem is the basic issue that initiated the effort and is usually stated in terms of a lagging indicator, which must be clearly understood to get to the root cause.

许多人往往会将问题的根本原因与问题陈述相混淆。这一问题，是要去努力的基本问题，通常会用滞后性的指标来表示，我们必须清楚地了解其根本原因。

Step Two: Breakdown the Problem

第二步：分解问题

The breakdown of the problem is where the issue is dissected in order to better understand what happened and focus on the most important element to address. This is difficult for many people because of the desire to solve the entire problem rather than a smaller, more focused issue.

It is important here to understand all the issues related to the problem so the highest priority can be addressed first. After the most important issue is solved, the team can return to the next most important issue, thereby chipping away at the problem.

分解问题，是为了我们更好地理解发生了什么，并将重点放在需要解决的最重要的因素上。对许多人来说，这一点是很难的，因为他们希望解决整个问题，而不是解决某个更小、更为集中的问题。

理解与问题相关的所有问题很重要，因此，我们可以首先解决最高优先级的问题。一旦最重要的问题得以解决，团队就可以将重点放到下一个最重要的问题上，进而去解决问题。

Step Three: Set the Target

第三步：设定目标

Since the information in each step builds on the previous one, there should be a logical connection between the breakdown and setting the target. It needs to be clear why the team selected the problem and target and it must be based on the information and analysis in step 2.

因为，每个步骤中的信息都是建立在前一个步骤的基础上的，所以，在分解和设置目标之间应该有逻辑上的关联。我们需要明确团队选择问题和目标的理由，并且得基于步骤2中的信息和分析。

Step Four: Determine Root Cause

第四步：确定根本原因

In this step, it is critical that the team starts with the problem exactly as written in box 3 to maintain the logical thread between steps and that the effort is based on facts and the knowledge of those closest to the relevant process.

在这一步骤中，团队必须严格从方框3中所写的问题开始，以维护步骤之间的逻辑关联，并且对问题解决的努力，是基于事实和最接近相关过程的人员所具备的知识。

Step Five: Select Countermeasure

第五步：选择对策

The biggest problem in step 5 is listing a single versus multiple proposed countermeasures – often a clue that the team had the answer in mind when they started the effort. Truly following the process requires the team to reflect on the root cause when determining possible countermeasures. When this happens correctly, there are usually a couple alternatives from which to choose.

第5步中最大的问题是：列出单一和多个建议的对策。这通常是团队在开始工作时，就考虑到答案的一个提示。真正遵循这一流程，需要团队在确定可能的对策时反思导致问题的根本原因。一旦正确，通常有会一些备用的选择。

Also, the action plan should be related to implementing/testing the selected countermeasure. Often, the action plan hints at collecting more information to verify or determine the root cause rather than specific steps to address the root cause. If this is the case, the team needs to return to step 4 to better define the root cause.

另外，行动计划应该与实施/测试所选的对策有关联。通常情况下，行动计划会暗示需要收集更多的信息对根本原因进行验证或者确定，而不是解决问题根本原因的具体步骤。如果是这种情况，团队需要回到步骤4，以便更好地定义问题的根本原因。

Step Six: See Implement Countermeasure

第六步：查看实施对策

There is often a lot of activity going on in most organizations, and people lose focus and interest in implementing the plan they developed. The team should have a metric somewhere showing the status of the countermeasure implementation. If they do not have a metric, it is very easy for other priorities to interfere with the implementation and the prior work done on the problem will be lost.

在大多数的组织中，经常有很多进行中活动，人们会对执行自己所制定的计划失去关注和兴趣。团队应该在某个地方有一个指标来展示对策实施的状态。如果对策没有衡量的标准，那么，其他优先级很容易会妨碍到对策的实施，并且以前为问题所付出的工作将会丢失。

Step Seven: Monitor Results

第七步：监控结果

The biggest issue with this step is a blank box on the A3, showing that the team lost interest in the effort.

这个步骤最大的问题是：A3上的一个空白框，表明团队对该努力失去了兴趣。

Step Eight: Standardize Successful Processes

第八步：对成功的流程进行标准化

As with step 7, the team needs to find a way to standardize the countermeasures that successfully address the root cause. If they don’t do this, then the improvement has no chance of being sustained.

与步骤7一样，团队需要找到一种方法来对成功解决根本原因的对策予以标准化。如果不这么做，那么，改进就不会得以持续。

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资料来源：PLY外语学习
文章编辑：Blean
投稿方式：kaizen@benchmarklean.cn

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