Course Description
In a Lean system, “Kata” refers to a structured practice or routine, originating from Japanese martial arts, that helps individuals and teams develop a scientific approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement by repeatedly going through a set of steps, essentially training them to think critically and systematically when tackling challenges; it’s considered a core element of the Toyota Production System, often used to reinforce Lean principles through practice and repetition.
This 2-day course teaches a structured way to create a culture of continuous learning and improvement at all levels. The Kata methodology is grounded in two fundamental routines; the Improvement Kata (IK) and the Coaching Kata (CK). The IK is the routine that helps your employees improve, adapt, innovate, and evolve and is the context in which lean manufacturing tools are applied. The CK allows leaders and managers to develop their skills for helping someone learn the IK process. The CK is important as it gives leaders the opportunity to understand the teams thinking and help guide them toward activities that will achieve the target condition. A key missing element of most lean manufacturing implementation efforts is the routine that helps people continuously improve and evolve. While we can’t control the ever-changing pace of production, we can control how we respond to the changes. Kata is the continuous improvement aspect of lean manufacturing.
Course Objectives
As a result of this course, participants should be able to:
– Describe kata and explain how it is used to continuously improve
– Define Improvement kata and describe the four steps, and a scientific way of achieving goals
– List the five coaching kata questions and describe how they are used to develop team’s capabilities
– Identify ways to help team’s use the scientific method
Course Length
2 Days
