Teemu Toivonen introduced Toyota Kata, which uses two behavioral routines - the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata - to continually improve work through small experiments. The Improvement Kata involves understanding the current condition, setting a target condition 1-3 months away, and using PDCA experiments to navigate toward the target. The Coaching Kata teaches the Improvement Kata using real problems, with the mentor asking questions rather than providing answers to guide the mentee. Experience shows that practicing the Kata helps processes but developing coaching skills is key to scaling improvements in an organization.

1. Toyota Kata – Introduction and Experiences
Teemu Toivonen

2. Introduction
• My name is Teemu Toivonen
• I work as manager of application services at Aalto IT
and have introduced Lean and Agile practices to the
way we work
• I have about two years of experience of Toyota
Kata, and I don’t consider my self an expert. I’m a
practitioner
• I’m very interested in Lean Agile, Lean, Coaching and
Systems Thinking
– I enjoy discussing and debating these topics so please
indulge me (@number_9_, teemu.toivonen@gmail.com or
over a beer;)

3. Goal for the event
You will have a basic understanding of the philosophy of Toyota Kata and how
it works. This will be achieved by a combination of:
• Short lectures
• Discussion
• Exercises
Engaging conversation is more important than quiet
listening so when you have a question or comment please
share it!

4. What is a Kata?
Kata is a routine or repeating pattern for doing
something

5. Why are habits and routines
important?
• Can someone describe shortly the difference
between driving a car:
– The first time they drove
– After several years of experience
Routines and habits are the bases for effective
and efficient action!

6. “We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
- Aristoteles
Toyota Kata is about creating habits that
create excellence.

7. The Philosophy Behind Toyota Kata
1. The second law of
thermodynamics: everything
deteriorates over time
– There is no stable condition that
can be maintained
– The only solution is to improve
constantly
2. Grow people and maximize
human potential by engaging
people to continually improve
as part of their everyday work

8. Mentee
Improvement Kata Coaching Kata
Mentor
Toyota Kata
Philosophy:
• Continually improve as part of everyday work to get
better and fight entropy
• Grow people and maximize human potential by
engaging them in the improvement through Toyota Kata
Questions or
comments about the
overview?
Toyota Kata is two behavioral routines to realize these goals

9. Improvement Kata
Long term vision
”North Star”
1. Understand the direction
2. Understand the current condition
3. Define the Next target condition
4. Experiment your way to the target
5. Start over
Next target
condition
A good target
condition is abouth a
month away
PDCA-experiment
1. Hypothesis
2. Experiment
3. Result
4. Learning
PDCA experiment
your way to the target
Current condition
Understand deeply

10. Example: Weight lose
• I will be using weight lose as an simple
example of the concepts I’ll be talking about

11. 1. Long term vision
• Also known as “True North” or “North Star”
• Sets the direction for short term plans
• Is brief and describes the outcome and the
process
• Toyota manufacturing example paraphrased:
– “One piece flow, zero defects and 100% value
adding steps (no waste)”
• Does not need to be realistically achievable
• Choose wisely 

12. == TASK
This seems
important!
This seems
interesting
There is always too
much to do and by
random choices you get
nowhere
A team without a North Star

13. North Star
Things you
must do!
Things you
can do
Things you
can do
A team with a North Star

14. Weight lose: North Star
• Enough exercise to stay on good shape and
relax
• Eat healthy and good food
• Spend quality time with family and friends
with good energy
• Get enough rest and downtime

15. 2. Understand the current condition
• Understanding the current condition is the
bases for going forward and means going
deeper than the superficial lever
– Involves Systems Thinking and a process viewpoint
• “Go and see”
It’s a lot harder to
really see than you’d
guess

16. Current condition: Weight lose
• Quality of food is poor and the amount of
calories is too big
– Especially too much carbohydrates and fat
• Not enough exercise
– Weights once a week
– Basketball once a week
• Weight 107 kilograms

17. 3. Set the target condition
• A target condition describes both the outcome and process
and can be achieved in 1-3 months
– In the beginning shorter is better for learning
• A good target condition is challenging
– Just right, not too easy and not too difficult
• You can start with skeleton target (challenge) and fill in the
details as you learn more (target condition)
A good target
condition is just
beyond where you can
see clearly

18. Target condition: Weight lose
• Regular meal and snack schedule
• Less calories per meal by healthy composition
of meals
• Exercise
– Weights 2-3 times a week
– Basketball 2 times a week
• Lose 5 kilograms of weight in 3 months

19. What are the obstacles?
• As part of understanding the current condition
and setting the target condition you gain
insights into the obstacles that are in your way
• Pick one (which one seems most important)
and start finding your way toward your target
condition one step at a time with PDCA
experiments

20. Obstacles: Weight lose
• Meal sizes are too big – food is good and I like
to eat
• Too busy and tired to get exercise. Mostly a
feeling rather than a fact

21. 4. PDCA experiments
What is your hypothesis?
Design a quick experiment
What is the expected outcome?
Run the experiment
“quick and light”
What was the actual outcome?
Was it what you expected?
What did you learn?
Time for a new plan!
or
How do I sustain the results?
Points of emphasis
Short iteration cycles Go and see Focus on learning

22. 4. Navigate towards the target with experiments
Find the route to the target by
learning from experiments and
focusing on the next step forward
based on that learning

23. Experiments: Weight lose
Experiment Expected outcome Actual outcome Learning
Eat smaller meals
• Lunch
• Dinner
Less food consumption
during the day
More unhealthy snacks
in the afternoon and
evening
Eating smaller
meals makes me
eat more snacks.
Lunch: Eat half meat and
half salad
Less calories during the
day and protein will
keep hunger away
Works out pretty much
as planned, except
when there is good
desert
Eating salad and
protein is good
diet choice and
makes it easy to
eat less .
Increase basketball
training by making
commitment to friends to
play on two days
Social pressure will help
me get more exercise
At the beginning
difficult, but as it
became a habit it got
easier.
Social
commitment is a
good motivator.
New habits are
difficult in the
beginning.

24. Improvement Kata
Long term vision
”North Star”
1. Understand the direction
2. Understand the current condition
3. Define the Next target condition
4. Experiment your way to the target
5. Start over
Next target
condition
A good target condition
is abouth a month
away. Describes both
outcome and process
PDCA-experiment
1. Hypothesis
2. Experiment
3. Result
4. Learning
Remember quick
experiment cycles!
PDCA experiment
your way to the target
Points of emphasis
Current condition
Understand deeply
Short iteration cycles
Go and see
Focus on learning
Questions before the
exercise?

25. Improvement Kata exercise

26. The Coaching Kata
The purpose of the Coaching Kata is to teach
and coach the Improvement Kata using real
world problems as practice.
Mentee
Improvement Kata Coaching Kata
Mentor

27. When do you need a mentor/coach?
The need never goes a way. You can spend a
lifetime learning the Improvement Kata and
still have need for improvement. The role of
the coach is to help you learn.
No one questions why world class athlete’s
need coaches. Why should work be different?

28. The responsibilities of the mentor
• Teach the basics of the Improvement Kata to
the mentee
• Develop the mentees abilities by coaching him
in the use of the Improvement Kata through
real problems/challenges
• The mentor can not give solutions to the
mentee, but is responsible for the results

29. Requirements for the mentor
The mentor must have first hand
knowledge and experience of
using the Improvement Kata.
The mentor must be involved in
the Improvement Kata in order to
coach properly. Don’t coach blind.

30. Focus on understanding
the long term direction
and current condition in
order to set a good and
challenging next target
condition.
Keep the target condition
clear in the mind while
focusing on the next step
towards that target
condition. A mindset of
experimenting and
learning is crucial.
Coaching Kata
Before the target
condition is set
After the target
condition is set

31. Coaching before the target condition is set
• Is there a clear and shared vision for the long
term goal to set the direction?
• Does the mentee understand the current
condition deeply?
• Does he know what is the next target
condition? Do you need to give him a
challenge that he can turn into the target
condition?

32. Coaching after the target condition is set
The five questions:
1. What is the target condition?
2. What is the actual condition now?
3. What obstacles are now preventing you from
reaching the target condition? Which one are
you addressing now?
4. What is your next step (PDCA experiment)
5. When can we go and see what we have learned
form taking that step?
From Toyota Kata by Mike Rother

33. The next step
The most important thing is
making sure that the next step
is clear for the mentee.
It is better for the mentee to
figure out the next step, but if
necessary the mentor can
decide it. Go and see XYZ!

34. Remember routines are powerful…
… even in coaching!

35. Coaching questions
1. What is the North Star?
2. What is the Current Condition?
3. What is the next Target Condition?
4. What is the first step?
1. What is the Target Condition?
2. What is the Actual Condition?
3. Which Obstacle are you working on?
4. What is your Next Step
5. When can we Go and See?
The purpose of the Coaching Kata is to
teach and coach the Improvement Kata
using real world problems as practice.
Coaching Kata
Before the target condition is set After the target condition is set
Key points
• Focus on guiding the Improvement Kata pattern
• Ask question, don’t give answers
• In unclear situations suggest: go and see
• Remind the mentee about the key aspects of
the Improvement Kata
• Short and frequent coaching discussions
• Is the next step clear?

36. Coaching Kata exercise

37. A3 - template
A3-
document
Mentee Mentor
A3 is a single page document to support the
Improvement and Coaching Katas.
A3 – documents help to…
Create shared
understanding
Learn the Kata
Create structure
(thinking and coaching)
The A3 is not a form to fill! It is a living document that is updated
and revised throughout the Kata.

38. A3 and organizational learning
Solutions are documented
together with their context
The why behind the
solutions is also documented
A3 documents also reveal
the thinking process that
lead to finding the solution
Share the failures.
Worst practice is as valuable
as best practice

39. A3 exercise
Study the A3 template and try to understand
how you could use it to help you in the:
– Improvement Kata
– Coaching Kata

40. Experiences and lessons learned

41. Toyota Kata at application services unit
in Aalto IT
• About 35 people
• Almost everyone has used the Improvement Kata
and A3 documents in their work
• 5-10 people use the Improvement Kata actively
on their own accord. The rest use it on occasion
• I and few other people can act as coaches, but
this is our bottleneck.
• Using Toyota Kata and A3 templates has already
made a considerable improvement for us

42. To what kind of work do we apply the
Improvement Kata on?
• Process improvement work
• Improving our production services by
understanding and eliminating root causes
behind the incidents
• Good substitute for a lot of traditional project
work
– For example a design of a new service can be a
series of Improvement Katas

43. Get started by practicing the Improvement Kata. Start with a simple
problem to practice the form, but quickly move to more challenging
problems.
Remember to keep the time scales small in the beginning (at most a
month). You will learn better this way.
Better yet. Find someone who wants to learn with you and share
your experiences about the Improvement Kata. Do not start with the
Coaching Kata before you gain experience in the Improvement Kata.

44. Choose the initial group of Improvement Kata pioneers.
Organizational position can be a factor, but you should also consider
how enthusiastic the person is.
I made the initial mistake of choosing just my team leaders. Soon I
added more enthusiastic pioneers to the group.
Teach the pioneers the basics of the Improvement Kata and get them
to experiment with it. Start using the Coaching Kata with them after
a while. Be honest about your expertise level. Emphasize learning
together.

45. Start scaling up by giving training sessions on the Improvement Kata
and A3 – documents. Several short trainings sessions are better than
one “big” one.
Make sure there is background material that people can study. Do
everything you can to encourage experimenting.
Try to find ways to make Toyota Kata desirable. Not just the
management fad of the month.
Have your pioneers share their experiences and learning.

46. A3 – documents can be a great help in teaching the Toyota Kata and
making the results visible.
Remember that there is a real risk that it becomes too much about
writing the A3 – documents instead of the thinking and behavioral
patterns.

47. Develop your coaching capability by teaching your pioneers (and
other who show promise in the Improvement Kata) the coaching
Kata and ask them to choose people who they will start mentoring.
Follow up on their coaching efforts regularly. Remember to support
and encourage their efforts.
Be explicit about teaching the Coaching Kata. I made the mistake of
assuming people will learn it from being Coached. Teaching it
explicitly will save you time and frustration.

48. Some will learn the Improvement Kata with ease. Most won’t. Be
patient. There are no shortcuts. The level of coaching is critical in
developing people in the Improvement Kata.
People who can do the Coaching Kata will be your bottleneck. Focus
on developing this competence. There are no shortcuts here either.
Developing a real capability in Toyota Kata is really long term
process. Trying to force the issue will only result in superficial
learning.
Analogy to Agile: It is relative to easy to do Agile aka implement
Scrum, but it is really difficult to actually be Agile.

49. Sources and additional information
Toyota Kata by Mike Rother
It is the single best book about
Lean I have read and read a lot 
Håkan Forss has also interesting
things to say about Toyota Kata.

50. Q & A
• Comments?
• Questions?
• Feedback?
Contact me if you want to discuss afterwards:
Teemu.Toivonen@gmail.com
@number_9_
Mentee
Improvement Kata Coaching Kata
Mentor

51. “We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
- Aristoteles
Toyota Kata is about creating habits that
create excellence.