The document discusses problems with the traditional "waste walk" approach to continuous improvement, where a group identifies random wastes or issues they observe but may not be priorities to meet goals. This can lead teams to spend time fixing issues that don't help goals. The document advocates for the Improvement Kata approach of systematically striving toward a defined target condition through small experiments, rather than just addressing individual opportunities. Commenters note the Improvement Kata is more effective and dramatic difference compared to random problem solving.

1. With:
Gerd Aulinger
Barb Bouché
Bill Costantino
Mike Rother
Beth Carrington
Håkan Forss
..
Five Questions to
Activate Your Team
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF GOAL‐DIRECTED
THINKING AND ACTING
We have only limited /me in each
workday to make improvements, and
your compe/tors are right behind you.
If you’re going to ini/ate improvement
ac/vity, ensure people are working on
those things they need to work on to
achieve important goals.
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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3. This is also important because if you
want your teams to be engaged
when they work on improvement
they should be working on
something meaningful…
… not only random wastes
or problems somebody
spo@ed on a waste walk.
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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4. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON
IN A LOT OF COMPANIES
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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5. We conduct waste walks… oHen with people
not inJmately familiar with the process
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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6. We quickly idenJfy a list of random wastes
“Wastes we can easily see”
• Lengthy changeovers
• Walking
• Too many operators
• Part shortages
• Poor cell layout
• Poor parts presenta/on
• Operators not trained
• Machine down/me
• No standardized work
• Poor Housekeeping
• Inventory
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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7. The aHermath... We invest valuable Jme
and resources trying to eliminate these wastes
OK... as the VP suggested
on his waste walk, how
do we change this over in
half the /me?
CI Area
Manager Manager
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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8. But they may not be what we need
to focus on to meet our goals
OK... as the VP suggested
on his waste walk, how
do we change this over in
half the /me?
CI Area
Manager Manager
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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9. But they may not be what we need
to focus on to meet our goals
OK... as the VP suggested Well, we have a
on his waste walk, how future‐state map…
do we change this over in
half the /me?
CI Area
Manager Manager
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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10. But they may not be what we need
to focus on to meet our goals
OK... as the VP suggested Well, we have a …and our current
on his waste walk, how future‐state map… focus has been a new
do we change this over in scheduling pa@ern
half the /me? for this process.
CI Area
Manager Manager
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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11. The Waste Walk approach is undisciplined and
arbitrary, based on whatever a person’s perspec/ve
happens to be at that moment.
Beth
“I see too much walking!” “I see a lack of visual controls” Carrington
“I just no9ced this abnormality” “Let's ask the operators what they think”
“We should do
8‐step problem “Let's implement
solving on that” what I saw on a
benchmarking trip”
“I see this
problem.
Let's fix it.”
“I see a devia9on
in Step 4”
“I see too much rework”
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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12. The Waste Walk approach is undisciplined and
arbitrary, based on whatever a person’s perspec/ve
happens to be at that moment.
“I see too much walking!” “I see a lack of visual controls”
“I just no9ced this abnormality” “Let's ask the operators what they think”
“We should do
8‐step problem “Let's implement
solving on that” what I saw on a
benchmarking trip”
“I see this
problem.
Let's fix it.”
“I see a devia9on I agree. As we look around
in Step 4”
each of us is naturally biased
in what we see and view as Barb Bouché
“I see too much rework” important.
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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13. We're unlikely to beat the
compe//on this way. I know
troubleshoo/ng is necessary
(things happen!). BE CAREFUL
though, waste hunts or
troubleshoo/ng are not an
improvement process.
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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14. We're unlikely to beat the
compe//on this way. I know
troubleshoo/ng is necessary
(things happen!). BE CAREFUL
though, waste hunts or
troubleshoo/ng are not an
improvement process.
Yeah, PDCA without a
target condi/on is like
trying to learn from
randomness!
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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15. The Improvement Kata is different. It involves
SystemaJc Striving toward a defined Target CondiJon.
Håkan Forss
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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16. The Improvement Kata is different. It involves
SystemaJc Striving toward a defined Target CondiJon.
Not just iden/fying and addressing
individual improvement opportuni/es.
Gerd
The difference is drama/c! Aulinger
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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17. No/ce the difference this creates for your team.
Blame
Lists of Target
Judgments countermeasures Condition
Opinions
Voting
What can we do? What do we need to do?
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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18. No/ce the difference this creates for your team.
Blame
Lists of Target
Judgments countermeasures Condition
Opinions
Voting
What can we do? What do we need to do?
Prac/cing the pa@ern of the Improvement Kata
teaches a team how to conduct a systema/c
and scien/fic improvement process.
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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19. © Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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20. HERE'S A STEP YOU CAN TAKE
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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21. MOBILIZE YOUR TEAM MORE SYSTEMATICALLY
Ask these Five Ques/ons whenever your team meets.
Five Basic TK Questions The target
condi/on
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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22. MOBILIZE YOUR TEAM MORE SYSTEMATICALLY
Ask these Five Ques/ons whenever your team meets.
Five Basic TK Questions The target
condi/on
1. What are we trying to achieve?
That's a
2. Where are we now? kata to
prac2ce
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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23. MOBILIZE YOUR TEAM MORE SYSTEMATICALLY
Ask these Five Ques/ons whenever your team meets.
Five Basic TK Questions The target
condi/on
1. What are we trying to achieve?
That's a
2. Where are we now? kata to
prac2ce
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
Whoa,
Baby!!
When asked in this order
every day these ques/ons
create forward mo2on!
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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24. START TODAY
Add structure and focus
Keep the Five
Ques/ons in mind.
Five Basic TK Questions
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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25. START TODAY
Add structure and focus
Keep the Five
Ques/ons in mind. Try it and see.
Five Basic TK Questions
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
Hmm…
I'll ask the
5 QuesJons
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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26. START TODAY
Add structure and focus
Keep the Five
Ques/ons in mind. Try it and see.
Five Basic TK Questions
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
Hmm…
I'll ask the
5 QuesJons
It may change
how you and
your team think
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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27. Five Basic TK Questions
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step?
On the next page is a template of quesJon cards.
Download it and print it on card stock.
Take a quesJon card along whenever you go to a
meeJng, huddle, Jer meeJng or gemba walk.
Go through the Five QuesJons ‐‐ in order ‐‐ during
the meeJng, either as a group or to yourself.
The template is also downloadable on the
Lean Enterprise Ins/tute Improvement Kata & Coaching Kata webpage
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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28. 5 Questions for Every Meeting 5 Questions for Every Meeting
1. What are we trying to achieve? 1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now? 2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way? 3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and 4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect? what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve 5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step? learned from taking that step?
5 Questions for Every Meeting 5 Questions for Every Meeting
1. What are we trying to achieve? 1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. Where are we now? 2. Where are we now?
3. What obstacle is now in our way? 3. What obstacle is now in our way?
4. What!s our next step, and 4. What!s our next step, and
what do we expect? what do we expect?
5. When can we see what we!ve 5. When can we see what we!ve
learned from taking that step? learned from taking that step?
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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29. DEVELOP NEW HABITS…
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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30. DEVELOP NEW HABITS…
… TO SEE NEW RESULTS!
“To get what you’ve never had,
you must do what you’ve never done.”
~ Author unknown
© Mike Rother & Bill Costantino TOYOTA KATA
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