methodatlas
Session Builder

Establish practice

Define cadence, owner, participation, and success signals for a recurring team practice.

Practice CharterweeklyOperating practice

Establish the practice

Define cadence, owner, participation, and success signals so the method works as a recurring team practice.

Derived automatically

Variant for Operating practice. The plan is derived from method form, method steps, and runsheet.

Runsheet
Cadence logic
Rhythm before scope

An operating practice works through repetition. The cadence should be small enough to hold reliably.

Iteration flow
One run, reusable each time

The steps describe one repetition and are adjusted after review.

  1. 1

    Section 1: Background and Goal

    15 min

    Describe the problem in no more than four sentences with date, frequency, and impact. Define the Goal with a measurable target metric and deadline. Background gives the business reason, not the team history.

    OwnerIf the background takes more than one paragraph, the problem is not cut tightly enough. The owner must set the target value before the analysis, otherwise the Goal will later be bent to fit the proposal.
  2. 2

    Section 2: Current State

    20 min

    Draw the current state with concrete data and a sketch of the process. Times, volumes, error rates in numbers. Mark hot spots where the problem occurs.

    TeamA sketch beats text. If the Current State is only bullet points, the process view is missing. At least one run chart or Pareto per hot spot.
  3. 3

    Section 3: Root Cause

    20 min

    Derive a Why chain or fishbone from the hot spots. Choose one to three main root causes that can be backed by data. Document other paths and mark them as rejected.

    TeamOne data point per root cause, not a guess. If all causes are only behavioral descriptions, the process view from Gemba is missing.
  4. 4

    Section 4: Countermeasures

    20 min

    Define one or two countermeasures per root cause with owner, deadline, and expected effect. Separate quick fix and sustainable measure clearly. Support the effect with a hypothetical number.

    TeamIf all countermeasures are training or awareness, the analysis is too shallow. At least one measure must act on the process or system itself.
  5. 5

    Section 5: Plan and Follow-up

    15 min

    Create an implementation plan with milestones and responsibilities. Define the follow-up date and measurement setup (which metric when against which target). Obtain sign-off from coach and sponsor.

    TeamWithout a follow-up date on the calendar, the A3 stays theory. The owner should set the date immediately and test the measurement source before sign-off.
Usable artifact

Practice Charter

Copyable charter with purpose, cadence, owner, participation, flow, success signals, and review.

practice-charter.md

Practice Charter: A3 Problem Solving

Purpose

The method helps clarify workflows, data, causes, and improvements concretely. It identifies patterns, causes, bottlenecks, or constraints and derives actions. The outcome is captured as an A3 report, action plan, and root-cause analysis.

Cadence

weekly

Owner and Participation

  • Owner: open
  • Participants: 2-5
  • Mode: synchronous

Flow per Iteration

  1. Section 1: Background and Goal (15 min) Describe the problem in no more than four sentences with date, frequency, and impact. Define the Goal with a measurable target metric and deadline. Background gives the business reason, not the team history.
  2. Section 2: Current State (20 min) Draw the current state with concrete data and a sketch of the process. Times, volumes, error rates in numbers. Mark hot spots where the problem occurs.
  3. Section 3: Root Cause (20 min) Derive a Why chain or fishbone from the hot spots. Choose one to three main root causes that can be backed by data. Document other paths and mark them as rejected.
  4. Section 4: Countermeasures (20 min) Define one or two countermeasures per root cause with owner, deadline, and expected effect. Separate quick fix and sustainable measure clearly. Support the effect with a hypothetical number.
  5. Section 5: Plan and Follow-up (15 min) Create an implementation plan with milestones and responsibilities. Define the follow-up date and measurement setup (which metric when against which target). Obtain sign-off from coach and sponsor.

Success Signals

A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis

Review

4 weeks