Approach

A3 is the operational spine. AI-enabled inquiry strengthens learning at every step.

ELS preserves the human work of observation, dialogue, judgment, experimentation, and reflection.

AI supports human judgment; enhancing positive outcomes. Deep Toyota Way foundation driving improvements and results, with a clear AI added value in all the right places enhancing speed, and effectiveness thus even better outcomes.

ELS Principles

Go to Gemba

Confirm facts where the work gets done.

Think Deeply

Separate facts and assumptions.

Inquire Better

Expand questions and alternatives.

Learn Together

Share information openly and build capability through working together.

Team Dialogue

Discuss, challenge, and align before accepting conclusions.

Reflect & Learn

Capture progressive learning through frequent reflection to improve the next inquiry cycle.

Team reviewing the ELS principles on a whiteboard together.

AI-Augmented 8-Step Problem Solving

Click any step to see its sample AI prompt. Prompts are illustrative only.

1
Clarify the Problem Define what's actually wrong
2
Break Down the Problem Stratify into workable pieces
3
Target Setting Commit to a measurable goal
4
Analyze Root Cause Find the real cause, not symptoms
5
Develop Countermeasures Generate and select solutions
6
See Countermeasures Through Implement and track
7
Confirm Process and Results Study successes and failures
8
Standardize and Share Lock in the gain, spread it

Sample AI Prompt

"Here are 15 customer complaint notes and 3 shift-report entries about [issue]. Synthesize the recurring themes into a one-sentence problem statement — what's happening, to whom, since when — and describe the gap between current and desired performance."

Sample AI Prompt

"Here's our defect log for the last 90 days — shift, line, operator, defect type. Stratify this and tell me which specific combination accounts for the most significant part of the problem."

Sample AI Prompt

"Current performance is [X]; here's our historical and benchmark data. What specific, measurable outcome is required to address the Prioritized Problem, and what's a realistic 30-90 day SMART target?"

Sample AI Prompt

"Here are five candidates from our probable root causes and from our 5-why analysis, with supporting data for each. Rank them by how well the evidence actually supports them, and note any that are weakly supported."

Sample AI Prompt

"Given root cause(s) [X] and these constraints [budget/staffing/equipment/training], generate five possible countermeasures, ranked by feasibility given our constraints."

Sample AI Prompt

"Here's our implementation tracker and action plan. Identify key vulnerabilities, potential roadblocks and workarounds."

Sample AI Prompt

"Document the before/after performance data — is this improvement statistically meaningful, or could it be normal variation? Provide an overview of the process and results successes and failures. Suggest learning points for the Team and what should be done differently next time."

Sample AI Prompt

"Based on these results, draft a one-page standard work instruction for each successful countermeasure, and flag two other areas where this same root cause likely exists so we can share the learnings."

Note: In every step, AI supports human judgment — it surfaces data, patterns, and drafts. The team validates, decides, and owns the outcome at each stage.