About the Book
Master the Art of Continuous Agile Improvement
In today's fast-paced business environment, agility is no longer optional--it's essential. Agile Kata introduces a powerful approach that combines the principles of Agile and the scientific thinking of Kata, creating a powerful pattern for continuous improvement and organizational agility.
Based on decades of experience working with businesses of many types, author Joe Krebs lays out the strategies and techniques that create a robust formula for continuous improvement and organizational agility. This practical manual is designed to help businesses implement continuous improvement and foster a culture of scientific thinking, enabling teams to adapt and thrive in the face of uncertainty.
Strategies for aligning Kata practices with Agile principles
Techniques for breaking down complex challenges into manageable experiments
Leveraging evidence in systematic problem-solving
Methods for measuring progress and driving meaningful results
Ways to overcome common obstacles in Agile transformations
Effective Agile coaching and leadership techniques to ensure that teams adopt and sustain the Agile Kata mindset
Alternative to existing Agile frameworks and processes
Approaches for applying Agile Kata across teams and departments
Insights from practical examples and case studies
Whether you are an Agile practitioner, coach, business leader, or change agent, this book equips you with the tools and mindset needed to drive meaningful change and achieve your goals.
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Table of Contents:
Foreword by Jeff Sutherland xi
Foreword by Nigel Thurlow xii
Preface xiv
About the Author xviii
Introduction 1
Purpose, Background, and Goals 1
Who Should Read this Book? 4
How This Book Is Organized 5
Challenges 6
Part I: Kata 9
Chapter 1: Kata Mindset 11
Kata Definition 11
Habits 12
Uncertainty 16
Continuous Improvement 19
Kata Culture 20
Chapter 2: Improvement Kata 25
Step 1: Understand the Direction or Challenge 26
Step 2: Grasp the Current Condition 27
Step 3: Establish the Next Target Condition 29
Step 4: Experiment Toward the Target Condition 31
Storyboard 39
Chapter 3: Coaching Kata 43
The Coach 43
The Second Coach 46
Part II: Agile Kata 49
Chapter 4: Agile as Values and Principles 53
Definition of Agile 54
Agile Manifesto 55
Driving Change Using the Agile Manifesto, Even Outside of IT 57
Spider Diagram 59
Values and Principles Beyond the Agile Manifesto 60
Traffic Light Indicator 61
Conclusions: Connecting the Agile Manifesto and Agile Kata 63
Chapter 5: Measuring Value 65
Metrics for Management 66
Metrics for Teams 67
Value 68
Chapter 6: Agile Coaching 79
Coaching Outside of Business 80
Learning to Learn 81
Agile Coaching Competency Frameworks 83
Role of an Agile Coach 85
Professional Coaching 89
Mentoring 91
Teaching 93
Change Agent 94
Coaching Ethics 95
Coaching Contract 96
Agile Coaching Summary 96
Chapter 7: Collaboration 99
Goals, Challenges, and Learning Zone 100
Dynamic Reteaming 102
Pairing 105
Mob Programming (Software Teaming) 108
Hackathon 112
Open Space 113
Liberating Structures 117
Micro-Facilitation Techniques 118
Collaboration Summary 120
Chapter 8: Leadership and Culture 121
Goals and Challenges 122
What Is an Agile Organization? 124
Introducing Change with Agile Kata 126
Servant Leadership 127
Empowerment and Trust 128
Agile Culture 129
Summary 130
Part III: Use Cases 133
Chapter 9: Retrospectives 135
Types of Retrospective Outcomes 136
Agile Kata as a Parallel Activity to Scrum 136
Challenges and Opportunities 137
Chapter 10: Agile Team Process 141
Timeboxing 142
Artifacts 143
Roles 144
Events 144
Rules 145
Summary 147
Chapter 11: Transformations 149
The Continuous Improvement Approach 151
Getting Started 152
The Process of Transforming 153
Chapter 12: Business Agility 155
Chapter 13: Product Management 161
Wrap-Up 165
Bibliography 169
Index 175
About the Author :
Joe (Jochen) Krebs is a German-American computer scientist, consultant, and entrepreneur. As the founder of Incrementor, an agile consultancy, Joe has collaborated with hundreds of companies across various industries, driving significant improvements in their agile practices. His global client list includes start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike. Joe is a community builder, podcast host, speaker, and author. In conjunction with this book, Joe has established Agile Kata Pro (agilekata.pro), where you can find valuable resources, courses, and tools for your Agile Kata journey.
Review :
"Some of the great inventions come from putting seemingly disparate things together. Joe brought together scientific thinking, practiced through Kata, with Agile philosophies and methods and came up with something more powerful than either alone. Read this book and bring Agile to life!"
--Jeffrey Liker, author of Toyota Way
"Agile Kata draws on Joe Krebs's decades of experience increasing companies' ability to respond to continuous changes in the world and in the market. It's a literal survival guide for companies navigating the uncertainty of a twenty-first century business environment."
--Jeff Gothelf, coauthor of Who Does What by How Much?, Sense & Respond, and Lean UX
"Joe Krebs combines Agile methods with the scientific approach of Kata for continuous improvement in Agile Kata. As someone who has applied Toyota Kata in product management, I've seen firsthand how these practices help teams reflect, adjust, and become more effective--just as Agile principles encourage. This book offers practical guidance to help Agile teams do the same, making it an essential read for anyone looking to enhance their Agile practices."
--Melissa Perri, CEO of Product Institute and author of Escaping the Build Trap
"The secret to success for business leaders is not in the application of tools but rather the thinking and human capability behind them. In Agile Kata, Joe Krebs has created an accessible, practical, and enjoyable leadership book that brings together the disciplines of scientific thinking, grounded in the routines ('kata') of problem-solving and coaching for improvement. Agile Kata provides the learning structure for any leader or Agile practitioner seeking to create sustainable impact through innovation and continuous improvement."
--Katie Anderson, author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
"If you're like me, you're a fan of Agile but also a fan of science; you're a fan of patterns but also a fan of experiments; you're a fan of learning but also a fan of joy. If so, you're going to love Agile Kata."
--Linda Rising, coauthor of Fearless Change and More Fearless Change
"Agile practices led us to new ways of working. Agile Kata will lead us to new ways of THINKING about new ways of working. In this book, author Joe Krebs takes us down time-honored paths to lead us to a new and joyful destination in our work lives."
--Richard Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love
"With this book, Joe provides a fresh perspective on Agile. As continuous learning is at the heart of agility, Agile Kata are a great means to make this a practice. The great analogies and Joe's vast experience make this book particularly compelling."
--Jutta Eckstein, coauthor of Company-wide Agility with BOSSA nova
"I've been observing the Agile world moving from frameworks to more holistic patterns lately. To quote Joe, 'Kata are thinking models, not operating models... Kata are closer to a pattern that is applied, and something new and exciting emerges as a result of it.' Joe's book is an incredibly important step in our Agile journey toward patterns-based approaches. I applaud him for writing it and encourage you to dive deeply into Agile Kata."
--Bob Galen, author and coach at Agile Moose
"Reading this book is a learning experience that enables you to nurture a learning culture for your own organization. The concepts and practical guidelines here explain how to use small experiments to build a foundation for continuous improvement. The Agile Kata approach fits any 'flavor' of modern software development."
--Lisa Crispin, consultant and coauthor of Agile Testing and More Agile Testing
"As an Agilist, I loved the original Toyota Kata books but struggled to grasp how to apply their powerful concepts outside manufacturing. This book--especially Joe's use cases--makes it easy to see how to use kata effectively in an Agile context."
--Fortune Buchholtz, enterprise coach
