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One page project reporting

How to avoid waste and death by PowerPoint in project reporting.

As Lean Six Sigma practitioners we are used to eliminating waste and reducing variation in our production and service oriented processes but how about in our project reporting and other communication processes? The principles of Lean Six Sigma can be applied here too.

A3 thinking (ref Understanding A3 thinking by Sobek and Smalley) is not only a structured, concise and standardised way of presenting information; it also helps us clarify our thinking and underpins our methodologies.

Good process improvement will follow some form of scientific methodology. Usually starting with a definition or statement of the problem, measurement and understanding of the current situation, observation or analysis to identify the root causes. Then some method to generate improvements and test them to verify that the improvements worked and finally some form of control or fixing of the new situation to insure the improvements can be sustained.

Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) and Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) both handle this well. However, when it comes to reporting findings, very little guidance is given and project teams are left to their own devices, resulting in either good old PowerPoint again or some form of written report-out document.

In some cases, companies provide report-out templates, however these are usually multipage documents and allow the user to add as much or as little information as they wish. This usually results in either death by PowerPoint or the destruction of huge swathes or forest, needed for all the paper.

Mark Twain once said when writing to a friend "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead". When we are not clear about what we want to say and don't spend sufficient time to tell our story in the simplest and shortest possible way, we waste our audiences time and risk bombarding them with irrelevant detailed information. This is where A3 thinking comes in.

Simply an A3 report is a structured communication on one A3 piece of paper (11inch x 17inch USA). It may have many forms and can be used for numerous communications such as proposal writing, project charters, status reports, and project report-outs. Whilst the uses of A3 may vary, the format is usually consistent with the following principles:

1. Theme - title at top stating situation, problem or opportunity
2. Objective & goals - what does this aim to achieve
3. The scientific process used e.g. PDCA or DMAIC
4. Graphic illustrations to make it visual
5. Systematic analysis e.g. 5 why's, cost benefit, DOE, cause & effect
6. Proposed solution
7. Action plan and timing
8. Date and reporting unit or owner

The title will usually be a high level succinct description of the problem or purpose of the A3. The problem statement or description of the issue will be a clear and concise description, including the following principles, which describes; what the issue is, where it can be found, when it occurred or any observed trends. It would also describe how big the problem is and reference the source of that data.

The goals or objectives will be clearly stated in a meaningful way to the stake holders and the business using SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) principles.

Root cause analysis will follow a structured problem solving methodology to establish fundamental causes of the problem and show this simply and clearly with the use of intuitive graphical or pictorial methods. The proposed solution is then described simply and supported by visual information. The results of any verification tests will then be described in order to satisfy the reader in the validity of the proposed solution.

The final section will usually describe the controls and actions required to complete the report.

Fig. 1: A typical A3 project report out format.

The discipline of condensing your message on to one side of one piece of paper will encourage the project team or communicator to think very carefully and clearly about each stage of the project. A good A3 report can take several hours to prepare and go through a number of iterations, seeking consensus from participants.

However the time spent preparing the report will be paid back many fold when communicated clearly to colleagues. The message will come across with more clarity and have more impact. Ideally readers should be able to grasp the methodology and findings in less than 5 minutes.

A3 thinking can be a flexible personal development tool, a problem solving system and an excellent method for capturing and disseminating learning.

Much thought is given to efficiency and effectiveness of business processes. A3 thinking is a means by which this can be brought to project reporting.

If you would like to download free A3 templates please click on this link A3 Reports.

If you want to know more about project reporting contact SigmaPro to find out about our comprehensive training and support programmes.

Author Biography

Dr David Cowburn - Lean Six Sigma Specialist

David has 25 years of running companies to Managing Director level and is experienced in utilising Lean Six Sigma in a wide variety of businesses including, manufacturing, process industry, service, and administrative.

In a people based hands-on style, he works and trains at all levels in an organisation from Board to shop floor to bring about rapid measurable step changes in performance.

David was originally trained in the Toyota Production System and has since developed a high level blend of Lean and Six Sigma philosophies and tools through working with businesses all around the World.