What is Kata?

Kata is a practical four-step model of scientific thinking and acting, for achieving challenging goals. It makes continuous improvement through the scientific problem-solving method of plan, do, check, act (PDCA) a daily habit.

Kata may have started in the automotive industry, but can be practiced in all areas of business and personal improvements. The daily practice of Kata helps establish a routine that enables quick incremental improvements. The more you practice Kata, the more it will become natural.

The first three steps are the planning phases – The fourth step is where you begin to execute the rapid experiments using PDCA.

Step 1: Get the Direction or Challenge

The challenge is where you want to be in the future.
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Step 2: Grasp the current condition

What is the current condition at this moment in time?
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Step 3: Establish your next target condition (and date)

Describe what circumstances you will strive for next.
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Step 4: Conduct Experiments to Get There

Experiment toward the target condition.
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What is Coaching Kata?

A coach guides the learner and team through the scientific way of thinking and acting using a “Coaching Kata” session.  A coaching cycle involves asking the five coaching questions.  This should only take 5-15 minutes per day.