Revitalizing Agile Retrospectives With Katas: Part 2
The Improvement Kata Canvas and Example
Introduction
Picking up from where "Revitalizing Agile Retrospectives with Katas: Part 1" left off, this piece dives into the hands-on application of the Improvement Kata. I will walk you through the Improvement Kata Canvas, a visual tool to transform abstract goals into concrete actions and results.
Introducing the Improvement Kata Canvas
The Improvement Kata Canvas is a visual tool that facilitates a step-by-step approach to achieving continuous improvement.
Here’s how each section and how each maps to the five Coaching Kata questions shared in Article 1:
The Challenge
Coaching Kata Question: What are we trying to achieve?
Sets the overarching long-term goal, outlining the broader objective of the improvement efforts so we can better serve our customers and mission.
Current Condition
Coaching Kata Question: Where are we now?
Focuses on a detailed assessment of the current way of operating.
Causes
Coaching Kata Question: Where are we now?
Although a separate section in the canvas, it is really a subset of the “Current Condition.” Identifying the contributing factors or reasons that define and maintain the current condition is a crucial part of grasping the current condition as a starting point for improvement.
The aim of analyzing the current condition is to gather essential facts and data. This information is crucial for defining a specific and measurable target condition that aligns with your challenge at your level.
Target Condition
Coaching Kata Question: What are we trying to achieve? (But in the context of an intermediate, shorter-term goal)
Defines a specific, near-term goal that serves as a milestone towards the larger challenge.
Next Experiments
Coaching Kata Question: What's our next experiment, and what do we expect?
It involves planning and executing actions or experiments to progress from the current condition to the target condition, focusing on expected outcomes and learnings.
Obstacles
We can consider obstacles a subset of the Next Experiments.
This section aligns with identifying what's currently in the way of achieving our next target condition and informs the planning of the next experiments.
As we rapidly experiment, we uncover the real obstacles sooner. The sooner we discover them, the faster we can remove them. The faster we remove them, the faster we reach our next target condition of improvement.
Results/Learning
Coaching Kata Question: When can we see what we've learned from that step?
Dedicated to evaluating the outcomes of experiments and reflecting on the learnings, critical for continuous improvement
Applying the Improvement Kata - A Personal Example:
Embarking on my journey with the Improvement Kata Canvas was born out of necessity and aspiration. I found myself mired in the quicksand of operational tasks, my days consumed by the course administration and management minutiae. This left little room for what I truly loved and excelled at – creating engaging content, resources, and innovative products. I yearned to break free from this cycle, to reclaim my time and direct it towards more creative and impactful pursuits. Let me share how I used the Improvement Kata Canvas to help me out of the quicksand when unsure of the path forward.
The Challenge: Invest 50% of my time in creating content, resources, and products.
Current Condition: Only 5% of my time is dedicated to content creation, with the majority spent on course administration.
Causes: Disparate apps, causing duplication of work, inconsistent manual processes, and reluctance to delegate.
Target Condition: Increase content creation time to 10% by streamlining course setups.
Experiments and Learnings
Experiment 1: Consolidate apps by moving to a course management system
Obstacle: Kajabi was inefficient in duplicating courses. The countermeasure was switching to Podia.
Results and Learning: Podia reduced administration time by 5%. Also learned I need to test out the critical pieces sooner. I spent too much time designing pages in Kajabi to realize that the time it takes to duplicate classes makes it unviable. It increased my time for setup.
Experiment 2: Create standard operating procedures (SOPs)for class setup to minimize error and streamline the process.
Obstacle: Initial SOPs lacked consistency. The countermeasure was to create a template.
Results and Learning: Refining SOPs saved time and reduced stress, though some errors persisted.
Experiment 3: Delegate class listings using SOPs.
Obstacle: The assistant required more detailed instructions.Sat with her
Results and Learning: Clearer SOPs and delegation further cut administrative time by 3%.
Reflection: Through this structured approach, I've seen a meaningful reduction in administrative tasks, allowing me to reallocate time toward creativity. It took me about 2 weeks of iterations and experiments to reach the target condition of saving 10% of my time. Yet, I am still 40% away from my overarching improvement challenge, 50% of my time to creative endeavors. So, it is time to set another target condition and repeat the process. The Improvement Kata Canvas has been pivotal in charting the course through uncertainty and measuring progress.
Conclusion
The Improvement Kata journey is cyclical and ongoing. It's about setting ambitious goals, taking methodical steps, and learning from each experiment. As I continue to iterate and refine my process, I invite you to embark on your own journey of improvement using the Improvement Kata Canvas. For a closer look at the canvas I used and to download it for your use, visit here. For the original A4 version by Mike Rother, check here.
In the third article in this series, we will dive into what the Improvement Kata might look like with Scrum Retrospectives.