Agile Transformation Kata - Guide for Project Managers to manage high performance team

Agile is growing across all industries today and with its ever growing demand in terms of transformation practices - Managers, Coaches and Developers are being readied to handle new challenges that make them prepared to face the World and get the solutions for the problems in more systematic way.

Kata is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general.

Kata with Agile is synonymous with the iterative development of project by following cyclic approach to the problem and giving equal prominence to attack the unfamiliar territory to get the solutions.

Lets take the example of Toyota and how Kata is used there.

Toyota, the Japanese giant known for the roots of Kanban follows Toyota Kata where the journey starts with

1. Creating the vision and getting the direction of the problem
2. Then, the current condition and circumstances are analyzed
3. Establishing the target state to reach for the problem
4. Unearthen the solutions through experiments in the unfamiliar territory to get the answers.

Kata in Agile is a great example of how transformations can lead to better results along with discovery of new territories that instill learning among the team players to unearthen the solutions for the challenges in the Project teams.

Source - Agile Transformation Kata - Whitepaper

Agile Transformation Kata is a relatively new with respect to the Agile Transformation techniques and has been immensely influenced by the root Kata method as described in martial arts.

The start of this ATK journey starts with the analysis of the problem and lining up the participants who will be part of the solving process.

We add the following team active members that will help us resolve the issue

1. Agile Transformation Team - Core responsibilities include participation in every step of the Kata, familiarity with the goals of the project, use Evidence based management to measure the outcomes and norm with the team in generating the crowd sourced ideas and encouraging the team to perform well as per their caliber.
2. Agile Transformation Coach - Leader(s) who can guide the team in the successful Kata implementation in the project, having immense exposure to the unfamiliar environments and get the team sail through the challenges with dedication
3. Participants - Multi functional team that helps in the implementation part of the Kata

To make this transformation successful, following elements are needed and necessary

1. Agile Manifesto - To define the steps as per principles as said in the manifesto
2. Evidence based Management - To measure the outcomes at regular intervals in order to align the next target condition
3. Proceedings - All the open spaces and interactions that help in gauging the ideas in one basket to have smooth implementation
4. Kanban Board - To document the whole journey of the project from start to the finish.

The Kata Implementation goes through (3+1) steps that define the whole pattern aligned on PDCA - Plan, Do, Check & Act cycle.

The steps followed are

1. Analyze & Measure - Goals are set and aligned with the agile principles, the length of the Kata, impact is measured.
2. Plan & Organize - Planning is done to implement the Kata Goals in organized way through open space and proceedings are converted into action plan.
3. Proceed & Influence where Inspect & Adapt is part of it - The longest phase where the Kata goals are transformed as tasks in Kanban board, implement the changes with the timelines defined, regular audits to inspect and adapt the changes in iterative way.

This is a great practice for Project Managers of both green field and running projects to see results in more team improvement, individual learning development leaving enough room for creativity, building bridges through agile leadership, agile processes, team training and coaching.

Happy Team Transformations lead to great work culture!