A3 Change Canvas

An A3 Change Canvas is a one-page, structured template (inspired by the A3 problem-solving method) to guide an improvement initiative from problem definition through action plan. It’s called “A3” because it traditionally fits on a single A3-sized page. This canvas helps teams document the key aspects of a change in a concise way, ensuring clarity and alignment on what problem you’re solving, why it matters, and how you’ll improve it.

Use this template when tackling a significant team problem or change (e.g. improving code review process, reducing incident resolution time). Fill it out collaboratively – it can be a living document updated as you iterate on the solution.

Retrospective Guide

A Retrospective is a regular team meeting to reflect on what’s working, what isn’t, and decide how to improve. It’s a cornerstone of continuous improvement for agile and lean teams.

New IT teams can use a simple retrospective format to start improving right away. 

Lean Coffee Agenda

Lean Coffee is an informal, agenda-less meeting format that allows teams to discuss and continuously improve in areas they find important. It’s called “lean” because it’s time-boxed and efficient, and “coffee” because it often happens over a casual coffee chat (but it can be done virtually or in regular meeting rooms too!).

For continuous improvement, a Lean Coffee is a great way to surface topics from the team and ensure everyone’s voice is heard on what to improve or discuss.

Team Health Radar

A Team Health Radar is a simple tool to help teams self-assess and discuss how they’re doing in key areas. Think of it as a “health check” for the team’s work environment, morale, and practices. Often visualized as a radar/spider chart or a traffic-light score, the idea is to measure aspects like collaboration, quality, workload, etc., and spark conversation on any concerns. This promotes respect by actively asking each team member how they feel the team is doing and listening to their perspective.

Experiment Canvas

An Experiment Canvas is a template to design a focused experiment for a change idea. It ensures you think through the hypothesis, the plan, and what metrics you’ll check. This prevents vague “let’s try this” changes – instead, you have a clear mini-plan and learning objective. Here’s a simple Experiment Canvas you can use:

Change Hypothesis Tracker

 The Change Hypothesis Tracker is essentially a log or Kanban board of all your change hypotheses and their status. It lets you see, at a glance, what’s being tried, what’s been validated, and what was learned. This encourages a scientific, learning-oriented approach to change (no idea is a “failure” – just an experiment that gave new insights).

Value Stream Mapping 

A Value Stream Map (VSM) is a visual diagram of the steps needed to deliver a product or service, including information flow and time taken at each step. By mapping your “value stream,” you can spot inefficiencies like wait times, rework loops, or overburdened steps. In IT, you might map the process of software development and release, a customer support request fulfillment, or any workflow like onboarding a new employee with hardware/software.