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In the world of product management, two Japanese concepts, Kaizen and Genchi Genbutsu, have made significant contributions to the way products are designed, created, and improved. These ideas, which originally came from Toyota’s approach to manufacturing, are now fundamental to the way the world manages products.
They not only guide us in the creation of better products but also instill a sense of purpose in our work. By understanding the purpose of our systems and the benefits they deliver to users, we can create solutions that are truly user-centric and successful.
Let me tell you what these principles are and how they work.
Context for Kaizen and Genchi Genbutsu within the The Toyota Way
Kaizen: The Never-Ending Journey to Improvement
Kaizen, a term that means “change for the better” or “continuous improvement,” is a philosophy that encourages ongoing, incremental changes to enhance efficiency and quality. Throughout the product management journey, Kaizen has always been a beacon, guiding product managers and teams to constantly seek ways, no matter how small, to enhance their products and services.
Kaizen teaches us that nothing is ever perfect; there’s always room for improvement. This ongoing pursuit of perfection and improvement can help us develop and support products to be more relevant and competitive. Kaizen should push us towards iterative development, where we value regular feedback cycles and small valuable changes over disruptive, large-scale changes that may seem innovative and flashy.
Kaizen Cycle as used in process improvements
Kaizen in Agile Teams
In addition to its wider relevance in product management, the Kaizen philosophy is especially pertinent to Edify’s project teams. By adopting a mindset of constant, incremental improvement, our teams can enhance their development processes and the quality of their output, all while keeping in mind the bigger picture and purpose of the work they’re doing.
For instance, after each sprint, the teams reflect on what went well and identify areas for improvement in the next sprint. This might involve refining their code, improving their testing processes, or enhancing their communication and collaboration but ultimately all these have to be considered in the context of the benefits provided to the users of the product. This iterative approach to improvement aligns well with the agile philosophy that underpins scrum, making Kaizen an invaluable tool for scrum and agile teams like the ones we establish in Edify.
Kaizen in Action:
A Call to Action for Agile Teams
Embracing Kaizen within your team means committing to an ongoing journey of improvement. Here’s a simple way to incorporate the Kaizen philosophy:
- Reflect After Each Sprint or Release: After every sprint, along with your product manager or product owner conduct a Sprint Review meeting. Discuss what was accomplished during the sprint, review the increment, and assess how it aligns with the Product Backlog. This is also a time to brainstorm ways to improve. (read more)
- Set Improvement Goals: Based on the Sprint Review, identify one or two key areas for improvement. This could be anything from refining code practices to enhancing communication but the focus should always be to stay aligned with the product team, the users needs and the purpose of the product.
- Implement Small Changes: Start making small, incremental changes in the identified areas. Remember, Kaizen is about making small continuous improvements.
- Review & Repeat: In the next Sprint Review, assess the impact of the changes. Did they bring about an improvement? If so, how can you continue building on them? If not, what needs to be adjusted?
Kaizen is everybody, everywhere, every day
Masaaki Imai
Kaizen Institute
Remember, Kaizen is a journey, not a destination.
The goal isn’t to reach perfection but to foster a culture of continuous improvement within your team. As a project or product manager, your role is to facilitate this culture and help your team see the value of constant, incremental changes over disruptive, large-scale ones.
Genchi Genbutsu: The Principle of Going to the Source
Genchi Genbutsu, or “go and see for yourself”, is another important concept in product management. It refers to the practice of understanding a situation or problem by going to the ‘source’ or the ‘place of action’. By understanding the purpose of the system and the benefits being delivered to users, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the importance and impact of our work.
Applying Genchi Genbutsu in product management might involve observing users interact with the product, participating in user interviews, or even using the product yourself. This direct interaction with the product and its users allows for a deep understanding of the user’s needs, pain points, and the context in which the product is being used.
This concept encourages product managers to step outside their offices and engage directly with their products and users. By doing so, they can identify real issues that may not be apparent in data or reports and can derive solutions that are firmly grounded in real user needs and experiences.
Genchi Genbutsu in Agile Teams
Genchi Genbutsu is also highly relevant for Edify’s project teams supporting customer product development and improvements. Instead of relying solely on customer reports or data dashboards, our teams can benefit enormously from direct interactions with the product and its users. This could involve PMs and tech leads participating in user research, usability testing, or customer support. By directly observing and understanding the problems users are facing, project managers and tech leads can gain a deeper understanding of the product’s context and devise more effective solutions. This approach not only leads to more meaningful product improvements but also fosters empathy within the team for the customer’s experience, aligning them more closely with the end user’s needs and perspectives.
Take, for instance, our experience developing an application for a leading curriculum provider. I remember participating in user research sessions where teachers used the application and provided feedback. One teacher, in particular, had insightful suggestions about the types of reports and information that could enhance their use of the application, in particular they wanted to understand better the level of use of our application by their students who were learning how to read. These experiences, these interactions, are what drive us to continue improving and developing better products for our users. They also remind us of the purpose of our work and the value we’re providing to our users.
Genchi Genbutsu in Action:
A Call to Action for Agile Teams
Embracing Genchi Genbutsu within your agile team means committing to a deeper understanding of both the product and its users. Here’s a simple way to incorporate this concept:
- Engage Directly: Schedule regular sessions for the team to interact directly with the product and its users. This could be done through usability testing, user interviews or by using the product themselves.
- Identify Real Issues: Encourage the team to step out of the confines of user stories and identify issues that may not be apparent from just acceptance criteria. This could involve listening to user feedback, observing user interactions, or understanding the context in which the product is being used.
- Devise Grounded Solutions: Based on the insights gained from direct interaction, work as a team to create solutions that cater to real user needs and experiences. This could involve brainstorming sessions, agile story mapping, or regular backlog refinement meetings.
- Implement & Review: Implement the devised solutions and in the subsequent review sessions, evaluate their effectiveness. Did they address the user’s issues? If so, how can you build on them? If not, what needs to be adjusted?
Remember, Genchi Genbutsu is about understanding the situation or problem at its source.
As a project or product manager, your role is to encourage this direct engagement and help your team see the value of grounded solutions over assumptions.
Go and see for yourself so you can speak with data.
Taiichi Ohno
Co-creator, of the Toyota Production System (TPS)
Wrapping Up
Even though Kaizen and Genchi Genbutsu started as manufacturing strategies, they’re now philosophies that guide us in creating better, more user-oriented products. By continuously seeking improvement and by going to the source of problems, we are able to create products that truly meet user needs, propelling our organization, and the organizations we support, toward success. More importantly, they remind us of our purpose and the value we bring to our users, making our work more meaningful and impactful.
Both methodologies, in their own unique ways, increase our own teams’ engagement and nudge us towards a necessary cultural shift in our projects to have more frequent feedback and not lose sight of the value of the product, which ultimately trigger improvements in key areas for us. (e.g. delivery, value, efficiency, quality).
