First: credit for this concept goes 100% to Llewellyn Falco. I was running one of my favorite Javascript coding exercises in 2014ish at a Utah Software Craftsmanship meetup, and Llewellyn not only showed up, but he also solved the problem I was having with my presentation style.

The Problem

Who’s run a guided code kata for more than three people?

Need a definition for a guided code kata? Start here, then add the idea of one person either displaying steps to follow and/or performing the steps on a large screen in front of several people. Guided katas are commonly performed at user groups, lunch learnings, or at a local coding dojo meetup.

Back to my original question: who’s run a guided kata for more than three people?

Still reading? Then you probably relate to the problem. The problem is:  how can you tell when a reasonable percentage (or 100%) of the room is ready for the next step?

In my case, I was leading a guided kata for a room of around thirty people. Even with about half the room doing the exercise in pairs, I was spending a lot of time asking, “Who needs more time?”.

The Solution (hint: it’s kata cups)

Cut a notch in two sides of some paper cups, and ask people to put them on their laptop screens when they finish the current step of the kata. When a significant agreed upon group of folks are ready, call out “Cups down!” and move on to the next step.

Simple.

When you don’t have any cups handy, try having everyone fix a sticky note to the top of their laptop. Post-its work in a pinch, but the cups are more reliable– and fun.

The use of kata cups has spread throughout the office at work. It’s fun to see something so simple aid in the success of a lean-agile culture. So many things we do are about visibility and collaboration and finding the right solution just-in-time. Kata cups are no exception.