What are the five fields on a storyboard?

A storyboard contains five distinct fields: challenge, target condition, current condition, obstacle parking lot, and PDCA record. Together, these sections document the direction, the present state, the immediate goal, the known obstacles, and the step-by-step experiments conducted by the learner.

How does the PDCA record enforce discipline?

The PDCA record requires you to state your step and write your exact expectation before you conduct an experiment. You must enter what actually happened, the result, and what you learned before the storyboard allows you to start the next step.

What measure shapes can I use on the board?

You can select four measure shapes for your target condition: at least, at most, between two values, or a share that meets a limit. The board allows up to three measures per target condition to track your progress accurately.

How many obstacles should you address at once?

You address exactly one obstacle at a time. You place all other identified hurdles in the obstacle parking lot. Once you clear or overcome the active obstacle, you choose the next one from your parking lot to address with experiments.

Does this tool work in Google Sheets?

The online storyboard prints directly from your browser. You can also download the standalone Excel template, which contains all five fields and 16 PDCA rows. That Excel file opens and works in Google Sheets without formulas.

Kaizumi^™

Kata StoryboardToyota Kata Storyboard

Track your challenge, target condition, current condition, obstacle parking lot, and PDCA record.

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Set your challenge and current condition

Enter your challenge to define the direction for 6 months to 3 years. Record your current condition and describe your target condition for a date 1 to 4 weeks out. Add up to three measures to evaluate your operating pattern.

Choose clear measure shapes such as at least, at most, between two values, or a share that meets a limit to evaluate progress.

View kata cards →

Examples

Focus process

Learner

Coach

1Challenge

A direction for the process, set 6 months to 3 years ahead.

2Target condition

The desired operating pattern and measures, set 1 to 4 weeks ahead.

Achieve by

Target measures

Charted

≥

≤

3Current condition

The present state of the process, drawn from your most recent facts.

7hours meeting plan out of eight, after step 5

1 below target

Day 0

4Obstacle parking lot1 open

Park known difficulties here. Tackle only one at a time.

O1No data on when timeouts happen during a shift
O2Tester temperature drops while operators take scheduled breaks
O3Valves sit at an angle on the test port
O4Supply pressure drops when the adjacent press cycles
Working on it now

5PDCA record5 run · 1 planned

One row per experiment. State what you expect before you test.

#	Step	What do you expect?	What happened	What we learned
1	Log the clock time of every timeout across one shift	Timeouts will distribute evenly across the shift	Logged 4 timeouts, with 3 occurring right after breaks	Timeouts cluster immediately after break periods
2	Keep the leak tester powered on through two breaks	Timeouts drop to 1 or 2 during the shift	Recorded 2 timeouts mid-hour and 0 after breaks	Cooling during breaks causes half of the timeout events
3	Observe 20 tests and record valve position on the port	Angled seating directly matches timeout events	Seen 3 timeouts, all occurring on valves seated at an angle	Poor seating causes timeouts because the port lacks a stop
4	Fit a temporary cardboard locating stop to the test port	Zero timeouts occur from angled seating	Recorded 1 timeout after the cardboard stop deformed by afternoon	A physical stop works but cardboard degrades within one shift
5	Mount a machined aluminum stop on the test port	Zero seating timeouts across the entire shift	Saw 1 timeout at 14:10 with the valve seated square	The aluminum stop fixes seating but another root cause remains
6 Next	Attach a pressure gauge and record values during each timeout	Pressure falls below 5 bar when the press cycles

Complete step 6 before planning another experiment.

Want an editable copy?

Get the five storyboard fields on a single landscape sheet with 16 PDCA rows and measure dropdowns. Compatible with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

Online storyboard for daily improvement

This free online storyboard helps learners and coaches run the Toyota Kata routine in any process. You can map your challenge, capture current conditions, set near-term targets, and maintain a rigorous PDCA record directly in your web browser without creating an account.

Teams in healthcare, manufacturing, and shared service offices use the storyboard to build daily problem-solving habits. The layout keeps your improvement efforts aligned with strategic goals while focusing your attention on one obstacle at a time.

Structured fields guide your experiments

The board arranges five core fields in one clear view: challenge, target condition, current condition, obstacle parking lot, and PDCA record. You work on one active obstacle while parking other blockers until you need them. The tool prevents you from logging an outcome before you define an expectation.

You can print the finished board for your team discussions or download the free Excel template. The spreadsheet includes 16 PDCA rows with dropdown menus and opens in Google Sheets without macros or complex formulas.

Connect daily steps to coaching sessions

Update your storyboard before each daily coaching session. Your coach asks the standard questions from the coaching kata card to review your latest findings and confirm your next planned step. If your scope spans multiple departments, manage larger initiatives with the A3 tool.

Frequently asked questions

What are the five fields on a storyboard?: A storyboard contains five distinct fields: challenge, target condition, current condition, obstacle parking lot, and PDCA record. Together, these sections document the direction, the present state, the immediate goal, the known obstacles, and the step-by-step experiments conducted by the learner.
How does the PDCA record enforce discipline?: The PDCA record requires you to state your step and write your exact expectation before you conduct an experiment. You must enter what actually happened, the result, and what you learned before the storyboard allows you to start the next step.
What measure shapes can I use on the board?: You can select four measure shapes for your target condition: at least, at most, between two values, or a share that meets a limit. The board allows up to three measures per target condition to track your progress accurately.
How many obstacles should you address at once?: You address exactly one obstacle at a time. You place all other identified hurdles in the obstacle parking lot. Once you clear or overcome the active obstacle, you choose the next one from your parking lot to address with experiments.
Does this tool work in Google Sheets?: The online storyboard prints directly from your browser. You can also download the standalone Excel template, which contains all five fields and 16 PDCA rows. That Excel file opens and works in Google Sheets without formulas.