Practicing these Starter Kata helps anyone become a better scientific thinker. (The images are sharp if you download the file.)

1. STARTER
KATA
6 for the learner
2 for the coach
for
Scientific Thinking

2. 2
Scientific thinking may be the
best means we currently have
for navigating through complex,
dynamic, unpredictable territory
toward challenging goals.
Practicing the Improvement Kata
is about creating capability that
you can use every day.
We can handle challenging goals
and problems .. if we’ve practiced
an effective way of doing that.
Navigating with a compass, not a map

3. Starter Kata are basic routines to practice at
the beginning, to help you learn fundamentals
of a new skill. It’s like playing scales in music.
The Starter Kata in this slide deck are
for practicing the scientific pattern of
the Improvement Kata (shown here).
For instructions, use the Toyota Kata
Practice Guide (2017, McGraw-Hill)
Aids for practicing scientific thinking

4. 6 Starter Kata for the learner
Steps of process analysis
Current condition/target
condition formSteps to establishing a target condition
Experimenting record
Obstacle
parking lot
The learner’s storyboard

5. Daily coaching cycles (20 minutes or less)
The five Coaching Kata questions
2 Starter Kata for the coach
The 5 questions are
the headings for
each coaching cycle
Purpose of asking the 5 questions:
• Reinforce the Improvement Kata
pattern.
• Help the coach see how the learner
is thinking, so the coach can give
appropriate feedback.

6. It’s easy to get started
One of the best places to practice scientific thinking is where you
work. There are real processes you can improve and persons to
coach one another. Establish some competence (and confidence)
with the pattern and starter routines of the Improvement Kata,
and then apply your scientific-thinking skills wherever you want.

7. The learner’s storyboard

8. CLOSER GOAL
1-4 weeks out,
on the way to
the challenge
Where do you
want to be next?
List of OBSTACLES to
the target condition
One obstacle
How fields on the learner’s storyboard
are connected
BIG GOAL ~ 3-24 monthsout

9. The five daily questions
These are the headings for each 20-minute coaching cycle

10. Two ways to get 5-question cards
- Print or Purchase -
1) Download a print template
from the Toyota Kata website
or directly via this link:
tiny.cc/5Q_print
2) Purchase cards at this link:
tiny.cc/5Q_purchase

11. The obstacles parking lot
The learner updates this by adding & crossing off obstacles

12. The experimenting record
(Conduct experiments
against an obstacle)

13. Instructions for both the learner and
coach are in the Toyota Kata Practice Guide

14. Best wishes
for your practice
The research report
2009
Instructions for practicing
2017