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A3 thinking in the warehouse

Article written by

Channa Ranatunga

“No problem, no improvement.” – Toyota maxim

Warehouses – with their mix of people, equipment, systems and space – are perfect laboratories for the A3 method. Born inside the Toyota Production System, an A3 is a one-page, structured story that guides teams from a problem to a root cause, and from a counter-measure to a follow-up plan. Its name simply comes from the ISO paper size (A3 ≈ 11 × 17 in). More than a form, it is a coaching and learning routine that builds scientific thinking into daily operations.

Why A3 fits the warehouse

Warehouse reality

What A3 brings

Dozens of micro-processes (receiving, put-away, pick, pack, ship)

A common language that links isolated issues to end-to-end flow

Abundant hidden waste (travel, waiting, re-work)

A visual storyboard to make waste and its causes explicit

High labour turnover

A repeatable coaching cycle that turns new hires into problem-solvers

Constant cost-down pressure

Data-driven counter-measures that protect quality and safety while cutting cost

The seven blocks of an A3 (and a warehouse example)

  1. Background

    “Outbound accuracy has slipped from 99.7% to 97.8% in the last 90 days, triggering $27K in charge-backs.”

  2. Current condition – go see the floor; map the pick-to-ship steps; add takt-time bars, photos, little graphs.

  3. Problem statement / gap
    We should ship 99.8% first-time-right; we’re at 97.8%; gap = 400 mis-picks / week.

  4. Root-cause analysis (5 Whys, fish-bone)
    RF scanners lose Wi-Fi in aisles 40–42 → pickers switch to memory → label mismatch; Wi-Fi drops because AP-3 antenna is shadowed by newly installed high-bay.

  5. Target condition
    Zero dead-zones; no manual SKU entry.

  6. Counter-measures

    • Relocate AP-3 (IT, 2 h)

    • Add “No-signal” poka-yoke pop-up on scanner (WMS team, 1 day)

    • Train pickers on new rule (Ops, 30 min / shift)

  7. Follow-up / next steps

    • Check mis-pick KPI daily for 2 weeks

  8. Audit Wi-Fi heat-map each quarter

Keys to making A3 work on your floor

  1. Start at gemba – managers and engineers walk the aisle with operators; collect facts, not opinions.

  2. Limit to one page – forces clarity; people actually read it during shift huddles.

  3. Coach, don’t fill – supervisors ask questions (“What did you see?”) instead of writing the answers.

  4. Tie to flow & cost – show how the fix shortens lead-time, boosts OTD or frees capacity.

  5. Spread visually – pin A3s on the andon board; celebrate closed ones, not only opened ones.

Typical warehouse wins from A3 projects

Focus area

Common gap

Typical A3 result

Receiving

Shorts on inbound pallets

35% less waiting at QC lane

Put-away

Travel to far racks

20% cut in forklift miles via slot re-sequencing

Picking

Long dwell at fast-pick

40% more lines/h after pick-face redesign

Packing

Wrong dunnage choice

$18K/year material saving using pack-out checklist

Shipping

Trailer detention fees

50% fewer late loads after door-schedule levelling

One-page cheat-sheet (print, post, coach)

A3 warehouse problem-solving canvas
(fits on A4 / Letter – landscape)

Download

Print, laminate, and reuse with dry-erase markers on the floor.

Ready to try?

  1. Pick one nagging warehouse pain.

  2. Grab the blank canvas above.

  3. Walk the process, fill the boxes with the team.

  4. Review at tomorrow’s tier-1 huddle.

  5. Close the loop, share the story, start the next A3.

Small paper, big impact: one problem, one page, endless learning.

Article written by

Channa Ranatunga