3F CHECKLIST

When both options feel costly, stop and change the angle. Surface a Third Way with the 3F Method: FACTS -> LEAN FILTER -> FORM.

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When to use it

  • When A and B are both painful: cost versus service, inventory versus stockout, speed versus quality.
  • When you are choosing the fastest option only to get rid of urgency.
  • When one department wins and another one pays the bill.
  • When the proposed solution creates more controls, exceptions, inventory, or coordination.

THE 3F METHOD - SEQUENCE

Use it at the gemba, in an operating review, or during an A3 discussion.

1) FACTS

  • Write the problem in one line, in flow terms.
  • Treat A and B as experiments: what changes, what is at risk, what gets measured.
  • Choose up to three decision measures.
  • Identify the current system constraint.
  • Define the scope: product, order, lane, or process.

2) LEAN FILTER

Use one lens at a time. If it does not reveal a better path, switch lens instead of stacking them.

  • Value: what would the customer willingly pay for?
  • Flow: where does the flow stop or loop back?
  • Pull: how do you start work only when needed?
  • Built-in quality: how do you stop the error from moving forward?
  • Standard work: what is the best method today?
  • PDCA: what hypothesis are you testing now?

3) FORM

  • Remove before you add.
  • Turn urgency into an explicit rule.
  • Reduce visible variation.
  • Design a simple operating signal.
  • Make the abnormal immediately visible.

Decision gate: is it truly a Third Side?

  • It removes net waste instead of relocating it.
  • It reduces complexity: fewer exceptions, less manual coordination.
  • It improves flow: shorter or more stable lead time, lower WIP, fewer loops.
  • It can be explained in two sentences and repeated by the people doing the work.
  • It has a real test within 7-14 days.

MINI TEMPLATE TO FILL IN

Three minutes. A better decision.

Problem (1 line): _____________________________________

Option A (pros/cons): ________________________________

Option B (pros/cons): ________________________________

Constraint: ____________________________________________

Lean lens chosen: ______________________________________

Proposed Third Side: ___________________________________

Verification measures: _________________________________

Test window: __________________________________________

Standard to update if it works: _______________________

Want the full framework and real operating cases?

The book expands the method and shows how to turn the Third Side into a repeatable decision habit.

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