Using the Toyota Improvement Kata to solve hard problems

As a technical leader, working on large strategic problems can be daunting. It’s hard to know where to start or which problem to work on, and even how to approach the Sisyphean task of moving the mountain. Using our war stories, we'll show you how to look at a long term vision, approach problem solving by using scientific thinking and move towards that long term vision instead of solving the known bottlenecks.

Adarsh Shah (@shahadarsh)is a technology leader, coach, hands-on architect and a change agent with over 15 years of industry experience. He is also an organiser for the Devopsdays NYC conference and devopsnyc meetup. Adarsh has a keen interest in building systems that add business value, and is passionate about helping clients with digital transformation by improving both technical as well as non-technical aspects.

These days, Adarsh is excited about working with distributed systems architecture and cloud native technologies.

Hibri Marzook (@hibri) helps teams continuously deliver software with joy and is a technical principal at Contino, a transformational technical consultancy.

Transcript

1. Using the Toyota Improvement Kata to
   solve hard problems
   Hibri Marzook
   Principal Consultant
   All things Agile, TDD and Continuous Delivery
   Contino
   @hibri
   Adarsh Shah
   Technology Leader, Coach, Hands-on Architect
   Independent Consultant
   @shahadarsh 

   shahadarsh.com
   

   View Slide

2. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Toyota Kata
   Mike Rother
   Toyota Production System
   

   View Slide

3. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Toyota Kata
   Toyota Kata = Improvement Kata + Coaching Kata
   

   View Slide

4. @shahadarsh @hibri
   The Improvement Kata
   Routine for moving from the current situation to a new
   situation in a creative, directed, meaningful way.
   

   View Slide

5. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Solution 

   options
   Current
   Condition
   Usual way of problem solving
   Find current
   issues
   Find options available
   to resolve
   Solution
   Apply 1 or more solution
   1 2 3
   

   View Slide

6. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Long-term
   Vision
   1
   Target
   Condition
   3
   Current
   Condition
   2
   Experiments
   4
   X X X
   Zone of Uncertainty
   The Improvement Kata
   

   View Slide

7. @shahadarsh @hibri
   VSM & Toyota Kata
   Long-term
   Vision
   Target
   Condition
   Target
   Condition
   Target
   Condition
   Next Target
   Condition
   Next Target
   Condition
   Next Target
   Condition
   Challenge
   Practicing the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata
   involves everyone
   X X X
   X X X
   X X X
   Setting direction with VSM is
   responsibility of a few people
   

   View Slide

8. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Target condition - is not about
   • Not about avoiding negative outcomes
   • Not an either/or choice between existing options
   • Does not mean setting a stretch goal
   

   View Slide

9. @shahadarsh @hibri
   Target condition - is about
   • Achieving new outcomes
   • Aiming for all attributes. “and” not “or”
   • Giving people challenges and teaching them an
   effective way of meeting them
   

   View Slide

10. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Kata
    Solution
    Scientific Thinking + Practice routine
    

    View Slide

11. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Metacognition
    Combining a simple scientific striving pattern with
    practice routines called Kata helps you teach meta-
    cognitive strategies
    Metacognition = "cognition about cognition”
    

    View Slide

12. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Scientific Thinking
    A continuous process of applying rigorous skepticism to
    learn from the difference between our predictions and
    reality
    

    View Slide

13. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Babies do it (you can too)
    https://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6230/91
    Infants use “unexpectedness” as a cue for learning.
    

    View Slide

14. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Scientific Thinking
    Learning What actually happens
    What we expect to happen
    

    View Slide

15. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Scientific Thinking
    Learning What actually happens
    What we expect to happen
    Learning What actually happens
    What we expect to happen
    Learning What actually happens
    What we expect to happen
    Next target condition
    Current condition
    

    View Slide

16. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Deliberate practice
    

    View Slide

17. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Neuroplasticity
    We can rewire our brains
    

    View Slide

18. @shahadarsh @hibri
    “You must
    unlearn
    what
    you
    have
    learned.”
    - Yoda
    

    View Slide

19. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Case study: Major Stock Exchange
    

    View Slide

20. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Context
    Migrate apps to cloud Multi-cloud support Automate
    

    View Slide

21. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Initial plan
    Semi-automated

    process
    1
    Multiple manual

    approvals
    ———————
    No connectivity 

    to on-prem
    ———————
    4-6 weeks
    ———————
    Security challenges
    Current State
    Combine 

    approval
    meetings
    Schedule
    weekly approval
    meeting
    Introduce SLA
    for approval
    

    View Slide

22. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Kata in action
    IPAM
    Account
    provisioning
    Self service 

    environment

    provisioning
    Challenge
    Automated Sandbox 

    provisioning

    ———————————-
    AWS US Region only
    ———————————
    Connectivity back
    to on-prem network
    ——————————-
    Under 30 mins
    Automated 

    Sandbox

    provisioning
    3
    1st Target condition
    Semi-automated

    process
    2
    Multiple manual

    approvals
    ———————
    No connectivity 

    to on-prem
    ———————
    4-6 weeks
    ———————
    Security challenges
    Current State
    Platform as
    a Product
    1
    Vision
    Leadership
    —————
    Visibility
    —————-
    Messaging
    4
    Experiments
    X X X
    

    View Slide

23. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Kata in action
    Experiments
    X X X
    IPAM
    Account
    provisioning
    Self service 

    environment

    provisioning
    Challenge
    Automated Sandbox 

    provisioning

    ———————————-
    AWS US Region only
    ———————————
    Connectivity back
    to on-prem network
    ——————————-
    Under 30 mins
    Automated 

    Sandbox

    provisioning
    3
    1st Target condition
    Semi-automated

    process
    2
    Multiple manual

    approvals
    ———————
    No connectivity 

    to on-prem
    ———————
    4-6 weeks
    ———————
    Security challenges
    Current State
    Platform as
    a Product
    1
    Vision
    Leadership
    —————
    Visibility
    —————-
    Messaging
    Automated QA 

    provisioning

    ———————————-
    AWS US Region only
    ———————————
    Connectivity back
    to on-prem network
    ——————————-
    Under 30 mins
    Automated 

    QA

    provisioning
    5
    2nd Target condition
    Experiments
    X X X
    4
    

    View Slide

24. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Scientific thinking & Deliberate practice
    • Infrastructure as Code
    • Test automation
    • Pair programming
    • Driver-navigator model (Coaching Kata)
    

    View Slide

25. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Case study: Major Online Gambling Platform
    

    View Slide

26. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Context
    

    View Slide

27. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Kata in action
    Experiments
    X X X
    Pair programming
    Try TDD
    Stable product
    Challenge
    Unstable Product
    2
    No CI
    ———————
    Manual tests
    ———————
    No collaboration
    ———————
    Prod outages
    Current State
    A reliable and
    performant
    platform
    1
    Vision
    Leadership
    —————
    Visibility
    —————-
    Messaging
    Automated tests for key journeys

    ———————————-
    Tests run as part of CI
    ———————————
    Start doing TDD
    ——————————-
    Collaborative ways of working
    3
    1st Target condition
    10 or
    more
    stable
    Releases
    Experiments
    X X X
    Mock
    dependencies Deal with outside
    interruptions
    

    View Slide

28. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Scientific thinking & Deliberate practice
    • Standups
    • Test Driven Development
    • Pair programming
    • 3 Amigos
    • IaC to for test environments
    

    View Slide

29. @shahadarsh @hibri
    We failed
    

    View Slide

30. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Kata in action
    Experiments
    X X X Stable product
    Challenge
    Automated tests for key journeys

    ———————————-
    Tests run as part of CI
    ———————————
    Start doing TDD
    ——————————-
    Collaborative ways of working
    3
    1st Target condition
    Unstable Product
    2
    No CI
    ———————
    Manual tests
    ———————
    No collaboration
    ———————
    Prod outages
    Current State
    A reliable and
    performant
    platform
    1
    Vision
    Leadership
    —————
    Visibility
    —————-
    Messaging
    10 or
    more
    stable
    Releases
    STOP
    

    View Slide

31. @shahadarsh @hibri
    What can you start doing next week?
    If you are a leader
    • Vision
    • Deliberate Practice
    • Scientific Thinking
    If you are a doer
    • Vision
    • Deliberate Practice
    • Scientific Thinking
    

    View Slide

32. @shahadarsh @hibri
    Book recommendations
    

    View Slide

33. Questions
    Hibri Marzook
    Principal Consultant
    Contino
    @hibri
    Adarsh Shah
    Technology Leader, Coach, Hands-on Architect
    Independent Consultant
    @shahadarsh 

    shahadarsh.com
    

    View Slide