Why it is called a bowling chart
The grid of monthly scores resembles a ten-pin bowling scorecard: a frame a month, a plan and an actual in each. The name stuck in the hoshin kanri literature.
How a bowling chart is laid out
| Objective / measure | Owner | Jan plan | Jan actual | Feb plan | Feb actual | … | Dec plan | Dec actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce unplanned downtime (hours) | Maintenance manager | 120 | 135 | 110 | 112 | … | 60 |
Each actual cell is coloured against its plan. Some charts add a year-to-date column and a short note for each red explaining the countermeasure.
How it is used
- Set the monthly plan for each measure at the start of the year, as a glide path from current to target rather than a flat line.
- Enter actuals each month from the operating data.
- Review the reds in the monthly strategy review: what is the gap, what is the cause, what is the countermeasure, who owns it, when will it show.
- Watch the countermeasures in the following months. A red that stays red after a countermeasure means the cause was misread.
Bowling chart, X-matrix and A3
The X-matrix holds the plan: objectives, priorities, measures and owners. The bowling chart tracks the measures over the year. The countermeasure for a red is usually worked as an A3. Together they are the paper system of hoshin kanri.
Common mistakes
- Reviewing every row instead of only the reds, so the meeting becomes a reading exercise.
- Flat monthly plans that are red for the first half of the year and green for the second regardless of effort.
- Updating the chart but not assigning countermeasures.
- Keeping the chart in a spreadsheet nobody opens between reviews.