The Improvement Kata consists of 4 stages to practice [Kaizen](Kaizen.md), either by yourself or in the context of the [Toyota Kata](A%20Kata%20Starter.md) with a coach. It centers around solving Obstacles on your way to a [Target Condition](Target%20Conditions.md) by working on [Experiments](Planning%20the%20next%20Experiment.md). ![](Improvement%20Kata.jpg) The Improvement Kata iterates steps 2-4: setting a Target Condition just outside your Knowledge Threshold, and then working on expanding your Current Condition through Experiments until your Current Condition matches the Targets Condition. You keep setting intermediate Target Conditions until your Current Condition has achieved the Challenge. (Challenges are defined in the scope of the [Starter Kata](Starter%20Kata.md).) Each [Experiment](Planning%20the%20next%20Experiment.md) moves the Knowledge Threshold a tiny bit closer towards solving the Challenge. Not all Obstacles need to be solved to reach the Target Condition, and this Kata should help you prioritize the most effective Obstacles to work on first. Each Obstacle should be tracked with its own Experimenting Log on the [Storyboard](Storyboard.md). That log should drive learning and facilitate collaboration by making it clear what path was taken to reach the Current Condition, and what insights got uncovered on that way. To drive the Improvement Kata, your coach asks you the [Coaching Kata Questions](The%20Coaching%20Kata%20Questions.md). Thereby, you identify what Experiment to perform next, until you reach the Target Condition. If you don’t have a coach, ask those questions to yourself between every single Experiment you run. Once you reach a Target Condition, [reflect on the Kata](Reflection%20Questions.md) to improve your way of handling the Toyota Kata itself, and then start a new [Storyboard](Storyboard.md) by copying over the Challenge and Current Condition, while establishing a new [Target Condition](Target%20Conditions.md). Keep doing this Improvement Kata cycle until you reach the Challenge. Ref: https://public.websites.umich.edu/~jmondisa/TK/The_Improvement_Kata.html