Agile Kata: Patterns and Practices for Transformative Organizational Agility
- By Joe Krebs
- Published Dec 5, 2024 by Addison-Wesley Professional.
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Description
- Copyright 2025
- Edition: 1st
- eBook
- ISBN-10: 0-13-811821-3
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-811821-1
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.
Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.
Sample Content
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