Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning "change for the better" or simply "continuous improvement." Originating from lean manufacturing practices developed by Toyota, Kaizen emphasizes frequent, incremental improvements involving all team members. It promotes a culture where improvement is a continuous, collaborative activity rather than a one-time event.

Kaizen in Agile

In Agile, Kaizen aligns closely with the principle of continuous improvement. Agile methodologies consistently encourage teams to inspect and adapt their processes, products, and collaboration.

Kaizen in Scrum

Kaizen is deeply embedded within Scrum, most explicitly in the Sprint Retrospective, where Scrum Teams regularly reflect on their processes, collaboration, and outcomes. Teams openly discuss successes, identify areas for improvement, and define concrete actions to continually evolve their practices.

Kaizen also emerges clearly in the Daily Scrum, where the team inspects daily progress and makes immediate adjustments, reflecting continuous learning and improvement. Similarly, the Sprint Review provides another opportunity for Kaizen, as teams reflect on feedback and discuss with stakeholders how the product and processes might improve further in upcoming Sprints.

Thus, Scrum embodies Kaizen through ongoing opportunities for inspection, reflection, and incremental improvement across all its events, supporting sustained excellence over time.