This presentation provides a high level overview of the Toyota Kata process. It illustrates the steps of * recognizing your Current Condition, * using PDCA cycles, and * moving along a path of discovery toward your Target Condition. It also shows successive Target Conditions toward the attainment of a larger Challenge / Vision

1. The Pattern of the Improvement Kata
by Bill Costantino and Mike Rother
© 2012 Costantino & Rother January 2012

2. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
Current Knowledge Threshold
Starting Point
You are here
Problems, wastes and opportunities
for improvement
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

3. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
(1) Vision for the customer
(1a) Challenge
Challenge Vision
Concrete, Vague,
1-3 year very long
frame term
Before taking action you should understand your
organization’s long-term vision for the customer.
To provide a tangible objective to focus on, set a specific
challenge in the direction of the vision. This challenge
often comes from your future-state value stream map or
high-level company objectives.
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

4. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
(2) Grasp the Current Condition
Challenge Vision
Now take a step back
and grasp the current
condition in
detail, following the
methodical steps of
“Process Analysis.”
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

5. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
(3) Set Next Target Condition
N Challenge Vision
TC
Challenging because
it’s beyond our Current
Knowledge Threshold
The purpose of the Process Analysis is to obtain the facts
and data needed to describe the next target condition in
the direction of the challenge. The target condition lies
beyond your current knowledge threshold.
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

6. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
Unclear territory,
the “Grey Zone”
? ? ?
? N
? ? TC Challenge Vision
? ? ?
You don't know exactly how you are going to get to the
target condition by its specified date. It's a grey zone.
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

7. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
(4) Rapid PDCA Cycles lead
to path of discovery
N Challenge Vision
TC
Following the pattern of the Five Toyota Kata Questions,
you conduct PDCA cycles as rapid experiments; ideally
daily. From each experiment you gain new information
and adjust your next step accordingly, to find your way to
the target condition within the desired time frame.
Note: You only work on obstacles you sequentially find
© 2012 Costantino & Rother
are preventing you from reaching the target condition.

8. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
 New Current State = Improved Performance
 Closer to the Challenge / Vision
 Expanded Knowledge Threshold
 Increased Skill with Improvement Kata
Challenge Vision
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

9. Pattern of the Improvement Kata
Successive Target Conditions
toward the Challenge
TC TC TC Challenge Vision
The entire pattern now repeats as you
strive to achieve your next Target
Condition toward the Challenge.
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

10. The Pattern of the Improvement Kata
© 2012 Costantino & Rother

11. We wish you…