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.

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