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kai·zen pro·gram·mer
/ˈkīzən ˈprōˌɡramər/
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noun
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a software developer who follows a philosophy of continuous improvement of software skills, coding efficiency, etc.
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What is Kaizen?
In the 1980’s Toyota comibined two Japanese words, “Kai” (change) and “Zen” (good), into to a philosophy of continually improving the craft of automobile design and delivery. Many other companies and industries practice Kaizen processes to deliver value to their customers.
At it’s core, the kaizen approach acknowledges that while human endeavors never reach perfection they will either move towards perfection or away from it!
The Kaizen Approach
Where Software Development Happens
Gemba means ‘the real place’, from which all the valuable work for a company is done. This was often the assembly line or production floor for other industries, but within Software Industry that place is a little hard to define.
Software products change constantly, both in design and in functionality
Imagine an automobile assembly line where workers design each vehicle that comes off the line. It’s easy to image such an assembly line producing significant varitions in both quality and features.
The Gemba of Software development is in the minds of programmers and their coworkers. The best companies support programmers with good hardware, coding standards, and business knowledge to