Winner of a 2009 Shingo Research & Professional Publication Prize Notably flexible & brief the A3 report has proven to be a key tool In Toyota's successful move toward organizational efficiency effectiveness & improvement especially within its engineering & R&D organizations The power of the A3 report however derives not from the report itself but rather from the development of the culture & mindset required for the implementation of the A3 system In Understanding A3 Thinking the authors first show that the A3 report is an effective tool when it is implemented in conjunction with a PDCA-based management philosophy Toyota views A3 Reports as just one piece in their PDCA management approach Second the authors show that the process leading to the development & management of A3 reports is at least as important as the reports themselves because of the deep learning & professional development that occurs in the process & finally the authors provide a number of examples as well as some very practical advice on how to write & review A3 reports