Coaching Kata

Purpose

The Coaching Kata provides a structured set of five questions that a coach uses to guide a learner through the Improvement Kata. The coach does not solve problems — they develop the learner's scientific-thinking muscle by asking questions that surface assumptions and prompt experimentation.

At a glance

How to run

The coach asks the five questions in order:

1. What is the target condition? (2 min) — Confirm the learner's next target condition.
2. What is the actual condition now? (5 min) — What does the data show? What has changed since the last check?
3. What obstacles do you think are preventing you from reaching the target condition? (3 min) — Which one are you addressing now?
4. What is your next step (experiment)? (5 min) — What do you expect to happen?
5. When can we go and see what we have learned from taking that step? (5 min) — Schedule the next coaching cycle.

Materials needed

• Coaching Kata question card (laminated or digital)
• Learner's Improvement Kata storyboard
• Experiment record from the last cycle

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Coach gives answers — The coach's job is to ask, not tell. Resist solving.
• Skipping question 2 — Without understanding the actual condition, question 3 becomes speculation.
• Coaching becomes a status meeting — Focus on thinking patterns, not task completion.
• No regular cadence — Coaching must happen frequently (daily or every few days) to build the habit.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The five questions are simple and can be translated easily for multilingual teams.
• Provide the question card in advance so the learner can prepare.
• Allow written responses for learners who process better in text.

Variations

• Group coaching — Coach asks the five questions to a small team working on a shared challenge.
• Self-coaching — The learner asks themselves the five questions as a daily reflection.
• Peer coaching — Two learners coach each other using the question card.

When NOT to use this

• If there is no active Improvement Kata cycle — the questions need a target condition to reference.
• If the coach has not been trained — unskilled coaching causes frustration.

Source & further reading

• Rother, M. (2009). *Toyota Kata*. McGraw-Hill.
• Rother, M. (2017). *The Toyota Kata Practice Guide*. McGraw-Hill.