The purpose of this section is to provide all the continuous improvement tools in an infographic format. These flashcards are easy to read and understand, and very useful if you are looking for brief, concise, and to-the-point summaries. They are quick refreshers for continuous improvement and can speed up the learning process.

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Continuous
Improvement
Infographics
PowerPoint Flashcard Format

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A3 THINKING
[ ]
WHAT
A structured approach for problem
solving and continuous
improvement.
LEAN
Adopted by Lean organizations around
the world and developed as part of the
Toyota Production System (TPS).
The name A3 is
derived from the
international A3
paper size.
No special software is needed
to use the A3 approach. You
just need an A3 sheet, a
pencil and an eraser as you
will need to erase and rewrite
several times.
17
in
–
43.18
cm
11 in – 27.94 cm
WHEN?
Used in problem
solving, planning &
decision making.
Used as a storytelling
tool to communicate
improvement projects.
A3 thinking is built around the PDCA
philosophy and considered to be its
practical form
Ensure using visuals & graphs in the
A3 report as they are more effective
than text in communicating ideas
Detailed documents are usually attached to the A3 report, so you don’t get
overwhelmed with the details when viewing the A3 report
1. Problem
Definition
3. Action Plan
2. Cause Analysis
4. Results &
Follow-up
A3 FOUR STAGES MODEL
1.Background 5.Countermeasure
2.Current situation
6.Implementation
plan
3.Target
4.Analysis 7.Follow-up
A3 SEVEN STAGES MODEL
The A3 process usually contains multiple stages
The exact number of stages is not what matters but rather having a
structured approach for problem-solving.
HOW?

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AFFINITY DIAGRAM
[ ]
A grouping method for classifying
items together into meaningful
categories.
WHAT
Training at
all levels
Convey
change
vision
Quick
wins
Implementation
Empower
-ment
Encourage
personal
develop
It may take
long to
change
Some
will never
change
Change Obstacles
Paradigms
A blaming
culture
Change
resistance
Planning
A change
agent
Sense of
urgency
A vision to
change
Leadership
A change
plan
EXAMPLE The following affinity diagram identifies how
to successfully implement and sustain change.
With your team,
present the topic
or define the
problem clearly.
1 3
Collect the sticky
notes and stick
them randomly
on the wall.
2
Give your team
sticky-notes then
ask them to write
one idea per
sticky-note.
Lead the
participants to
group the ideas
and label the
categories.
4
HOW
An affinity exercise tends to be more
effective when it is conducted by a team of
subject matter experts, and when it is led by
a facilitator who is familiar with the subject.
There should be no
evaluation of ideas until
the final affinity diagram
is complete.
i
You may add arrows
between items and
groups to show
relationships.
i
WHEN
?
During brainstorming and
problem-solving sessions
To organize the voice of the
customer and research data
TO USE
Helps organize information and
ideas, see how they are connected,
and identifies the characteristics
that distinguish each category.
WHY
BENEFITS

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BENCHMARKING
[ ]
A process that allows to measure how
a company is performing against top-
performing organizations worldwide.
WHAT
Gains insights into the operations
of outstanding companies and
identifies best practices to be
implemented internally
WHY
BENEFITS
What to Benchmark?
Strategies Products &
Services
Functions &
Operations
Processes Performance
Types of Benchmarking
Competitive
Comparing performance
with direct industry
competitors
World-class
Comparing with industry
leaders and top
performers
Collaborative
Carrying out the
benchmarking exercise with
other entities
Benchmarking can also be conducted internally by using top-
performing units within a company as benchmarks.
Our
Performance
World Class
Competitor 1
Competitor 2
Simplifies
benchmarking data
presentation by
visually comparing
performance metrics.
USING
CHARTS
Professional
Researchers
Industry
Reports and
Publications
Financial
Reports
Online
Databases &
Platforms
Examples of Data Sources

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YOKOTEN
[ ]
WHAT
Yokoten means best practice
sharing across functions and
businesses to improve processes
and performance.
WHEN
To share practices related to processes, products and services.
To share practices related to working conditions & environment.
To share failures and lessons learned.
Teams must adapt
and improve the
practices to fit
their own needs.
A best practice may
be a result from a
suggestion or
recommendation.
HOW
Yokoten is a two-way exchange of best practice
information between two entities . . .
Develop,
document and
share internal
best practices.
Get access to
and implement
external best
practices.
You need also to consider what other world-class
organizations are doing to become even more
innovative and competitive.
Duplicates the success and directly impacts the
bottom line of the business.
Promotes involvement and participation of
employees in their areas.
WHY
Developing a best practice program is an essential
of becoming a world-class performer.
A best
practices
should be
documented
before being
shared with
other teams.
BEST PRACTICE
TITLE PROCESS
PROBLEM SOLUTION
BEFORE PHOTO AFTER PHOTO
BENEFITS AREA
A best
practice may
also be
presented in
a case study
format.

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