Improvement Kata IRL: Turning Theory into Mission Impact

The “Improvement Kata: In Theory and IRL” session block at Prodacity 2025 cut through the buzzwords to the heart of what moves transformation forward in complex government environments. Across powerful talks from Bryon Kroger, Siobhán Mc Feeney with Josh Kruck, and Paul Gaffney with Angie Brown, one message came through loud and clear:

Transformation isn’t an academic exercise. It’s gritty. It’s iterative. And if it’s not repeatable, it doesn’t scale.

Here are four major takeaways for federal leaders ready to close the gap between strategic intent and operational execution.
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1. Frameworks Don’t Transform. People Do.

“The tools don’t drive change. People do.” – Bryon Kroger

Bryon Kroger opened with a sharp critique of how federal acquisition models often misalign with mission impact. He pointed to examples like satellite command and control for military operations and VA clinic workflows for Veteran care—domains where outcomes matter most, but requirements are frozen years in advance by planning committees disconnected from current and future users. 

Bryon used the Improvement Kata to propose an alternative:

1. Understand the mission outcome.
2. Grasp the current condition.
3. Set a near-term target.
4. Run experiments to move forward.

The key to unlocking real value is aligning software delivery throughput (speed, stability, and reliability) with human-centered outcomes, not compliance-driven outputs.

But for federal teams, simplicity on paper doesn’t mean simplicity in practice. Bryon highlighted the disconnect that often occurs in government: strategy lives in PowerPoint, while execution drowns in five-year planning cycles and rigid requirements.

What teams can do to connect strategy to outcomes: 

• UseValue Stream Mapping to expose bottlenecks and identify friction in mission delivery.
• Deliver into legacy system seams using domain-driven design.
• Replace long-range plans with short, measurable target conditions.
• Align software delivery performance to mission outcomes, not compliance checklists.
• Make continuous delivery your first strategy, not a downstream tech choice.

When you focus on the throughput of learning, not just code, you move from building features to delivering mission outcomes.

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2. Stop Re-orging. Start Rewiring.

“If you start with the org chart, you’re setting people up to fail.” – Siobhán Mc Feeney

Siobhán Mc Feeney and Josh Kruck shared a five-year transformation journey from Kohl’s. It started with just three change agents, a few small wins, and a lot of curiosity. Over time, they earned trust by solving real problems differently and then repeatedly communicating their playbook.

Josh compared it to Finding Nemo’s Dory: “You have to explain the mission over and over. For every new stakeholder, it's Day One again.”

Their experience reinforces a key truth: org charts don't change behavior. Operating rhythms, clarity, and systems do.

They emphasized that transformation only sticks when it’s:

• Systematized – embedded in the day-to-day cadence of the organization.
• Observable – supported by feedback mechanisms and inspection systems.
• Relentlessly communicated – not in a one-time all-hands, but across blogs, demos, rituals, and documents.

Takeaways for government leaders:

• Audit how decisions are made, not just who makes them.
• Use documentation and asynchronous updates to create resilience across high-turnover teams.
• Set operating rhythms that prioritize transparency, autonomy, and adaptation.

The goal isn’t culture change for its own sake—it’s creating a system where the right behaviors are the easiest.

3. Change Isn’t About Heroes. It’s About the System.

“There’s no such thing as a 10x engineer. But there are 10x systems.” – Paul Gaffney

Paul Gaffney and Angie Brown brought hard-won lessons in Home Depot’s shift from bloated enterprise tech to lean product delivery. Paul recalled joining the company and finding hundreds of features in development that no one could justify.

Their pivot:

• Kill zombie projects that don’t ladder to customer impact.
• Re-architect teams and systems so that value flows to the user.
• Outlast the hype by designing systems that continue working even as leaders change.
  
  

In big organizations, every new leader is a new onboarding. Your job isn’t just to change systems; it’s to make the new way of working easier to inherit than the old one.

What to implement:

• Treat platform architecture and product alignment as strategic levers, not afterthoughts.
• Reward clarity of learning, not just velocity of output.
• Make sure every experiment is traceable to a user impact or mission outcome.

In government, this means shifting from innovation theater to impact delivery.

4. Repetition, Not Reinvention, Wins the Day

“You think you’ve said it 500 times, but for someone, it’s the first.” – Josh Kruck

Josh Kruck emphasized a leadership principle many programs often overlook: if it matters, say it again. And again. Repetition is not redundancy, it’s reinforcement.

This matters in federal agencies where:

• Turnover is high.
• Priorities shift frequently.
• Teams are often cross-functional and distributed.

Leaders need to create systems of repetition: rituals, written documents, forums, and feedback loops that reinforce the mission.

Federal leaders should ask:

• Is our strategy understandable at every level of the organization?
• Can our teams explain how their work ladders up to mission outcomes?
• Are we repeating key messages across multiple formats and forums?

If your answer is no, don’t add another framework. Add another repetition loop.

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TL;DR: What This Means for Federal Agencies

• Frameworks are helpful, but people practicing them daily drives change.
• Reorgs won’t solve the problem. Rewire how your organization thinks, communicates, and decides.
• Design systems that outlast individuals. Don’t depend on heroes.
• Repetition isn’t optional. It’s how strategy becomes shared understanding.
• Continuous delivery isn’t about tech; it’s how you test your way to outcomes.

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About the Prodacity 2025 Blog Series

This blog is part of the Prodacity 2025 Blog Series, which distills insights from the event’s most actionable sessions. This edition covers the “Improvement Kata: In Theory and IRL” block featuring Bryon Kroger, Siobhán Mc Feeney, Josh Kruck, Paul Gaffney, and Angie Brown.