Your data tells you how big the problem is, your map tells you where the steps are. The Brown Paper ApproachA low-tech, collaborative method of overlaying data (via colored sticky notes) onto a large physical or digital process map. Click term for full definition puts both on one wall, so the whole team sees where the problem lives. Watch the short video, then work with the toolkit PDF: it explains the method, shows a worked example and gives you a blank template to fill in.
Tool video
The short tool video will appear here.
Brown Paper Approach in short
- Set up the wall. Brown paper, a whiteboard or a digital board, big enough for everyone to read.
- Put up the map. Recreate your current-state map, step by step.
- Add time data. Green notes: cycle time and waiting time, next to the steps and between them.
- Add quality data. Red notes: defect rates and rework, on the step where the error starts.
- Step back and agree. Where is the most red, where the longest wait? Agree on the hot spots together.
Key points
- Map and data on one wall.
- Green notes for time, red notes for quality.
- Hot spots show where Analyze starts.
- Keep the wall as your War RoomA dedicated, highly visual space — physical or virtual — that serves as the central hub for the project team, combining data, process maps, and findings in one place. Click term for full definition.