Guide: Understanding Kaizen in Scrum Retrospectives

Kaizen is a Japanese term, literally meaning 'change for the better'. In the context of Scrum retrospectives, Kaizen refers to a philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes. It is derived from Japanese business management and has been adopted widely in various business environments globally, particularly in manufacturing and software development.

Why is Kaizen important?
Kaizen is crucial as it encourages constant, incremental improvements, fostering an atmosphere of continuous learning and growth. It encourages teams to consistently seek out areas for improvement and facilitate small, manageable changes to increase efficiency and productivity.

How does Kaizen work?
Kaizen works on the principle of making small changes on a regular basis and these changes will add up to significant improvements over time. It promotes a culture where all members of the team are actively involved in improving processes.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Kaizen
1. Understand the core concepts of Kaizen: constant and continuous improvement.
2. Remember its origin and its significance in Japanese industries.
3. In an exam context, examples can often help illustrate your understanding of Kaizen. It could be helpful to think of a situation where small, incremental changes led to significant process improvement over time.
4. Understand how Kaizen applies in Scrum retrospectively, i.e., how it helps in improving the future sprints.