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Criterion
A3 Problem-Solving workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Operations
A3 Problem Solving
Design sheets and interface cards connect to jointly written pseudocode with highlighted unresolved questions.
Architecture
ARID (Active Reviews for Intermediate Designs)
Paper illustration for Root Cause Analysis.
Operations
Root Cause Analysis
Paper fishbone diagram with a measurable effect at the head and six labeled cause branches.
Operations
Fishbone Diagram
Purposedifferent
For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together.ARID examines how well developers can work with a technical design. It focuses on a part of the system that can still be revised, between the architecture overview and the detailed specification.When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another.When a problem has several possible contributing factors, the method sorts causes by cause areas. It prevents an initial hunch from blocking the view of other plausible drivers.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumMediumLow
Timedifferent
45-90 min2–4 h review as a planning range; preparation and evaluation additional1-4 h30-60 min
Participantsdifferent
2-5Designers, developers as users, and facilitation3-82-8
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause AnalysisPrioritized development tasks, Jointly produced code or pseudocode, Observed difficulties and open design questions, Proposed design revisionsProblem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action PlanFishbone Diagram, Cause Categories, Investigation Backlog
Tagsno overlap
LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations
ArchitectureEngineeringFeedbackValidationTasks
Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident
Root causeQualityOperations
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