Creating and Applying A3 Architecture Overviews: A Case Study in Software Development

Abstract

We observed in our company that the commissioning phases of projects were inefficient when it came to effort, measured in hours. In order to meet this challenge, the management team decided to create a software program that would enable shipyard engineers to perform software changes by themselves directly in the automation systems. By enabling shipyard engineers, the goal is to save valuable person-hours on each commissioning phase. The A3 report is a tool that can be used in most problem-solving situations. It can be used both as a way of structuring thinking and as a tool for communication and learning. After Toyota's success of using it as a tool for problem solving and report writing, many other domains have adopted the A3 report as a structured problem-solving approach. In this study, the author explains how A3 reports can facilitate validation and communication during system design of a software program. During software development, the project team used the A3 reports when discussing the software internally and with stakeholders. Observations recorded during this study indicate that the A3 report is a valuable tool for sharing ideas and capturing feedback, both in planned and spontaneous sessions. This study also explains how the format of the A3 report can encourage reading and writing of documentation in hectic industrial settings.