Yokoten: Best Practice Sharing from a success
Last updated: October 20, 2025 Read in fullscreen view
Recommended for you
- 01 Aug 2024
The Standish Group report 83.9% of IT projects partially or completely fail 332/2038 - 02 Nov 2023 Unlocking Success with The Amoeba Management Model: Key Lessons, Pros & Cons, and Finding the Perfect Fit 270/877
- 10 Nov 2021 5S methodology - the SECRET to Japanese SUCCESS 155/1818
- 09 Sep 2022 Kaizen, Kaikaku and Kakushin – what’s the difference? 145/3055
- 24 Nov 2022 Genba Genbutsu Genjitsu (3Gs), (Go to the Genba & see for yourself!) 126/3039
- 01 Dec 2023 What is Amoeba Management? 96/1020
- 13 Apr 2024 Lessons on Teamwork and Leadership from Chinese story book "Journey to the West" 78/1073
- 01 Apr 2022 Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram in software project management 51/3134
- 02 Nov 2021 What is Terms of Reference (ToR)? 37/1546
- 13 Oct 2021 Outsourcing Software Development: MVP, Proof of Concept (POC) and Prototyping. Which is better? 35/478
- 18 Oct 2020 How to use the "Knowns" and "Unknowns" technique to manage assumptions 33/1078
- 17 Mar 2023 Reduce waste in software development with 3M model: Muda, Mura, Muri 31/946
- 09 Sep 2022 What is 5 Whys (Five Whys)? 29/957
- 12 Oct 2022 14 Common Reasons Software Projects Fail (And How To Avoid Them) 29/563
- 12 Dec 2024 Danshari: A Japanese Minimalist Philosophy for Cleaner Code and Leaner IT Operations 28/88
- 01 Mar 2022 The Toyota Way Management Principles 27/778
- 03 Apr 2022 Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) 26/1258
- 03 Jan 2024 What is the Ringi process? 25/960
- 29 Aug 2022 Difference between Kaizen and Innovation 24/891
- 27 Aug 2022 Kaizen - Culture of Continuous Improvement and Lean Thinking 23/813
- 01 Oct 2020 Fail fast, learn faster with Agile methodology 23/1038
- 04 Mar 2024 Tree Ring Management: Take the Long Term View and Grow Your Business Slowly 23/432
- 19 Oct 2021 Software development life cycles 22/688
- 15 Apr 2022 Total Quality Management (TQM) - Japanese-style management approach to quality improvement. 21/688
- 13 Jul 2022 Applying the business mantra "HORENSO" to Achieve 360-degree Communication 21/915
- 18 Dec 2025 AI: Act Now or Wait Until You’re “Ready”? 20/38
- 07 Mar 2023 Japan’s Unusual Farming Strategy: Renting Land and Leaving It Fallow for 5 Years — Here’s the Truth… 20/75
- 21 Nov 2025 The Pressure of Short-Term Funding on Small-Budget IT Projects 18/27
- 13 Dec 2020 Move fast, fail fast, fail-safe 18/321
- 06 Feb 2021 Why fail fast and learn fast? 17/441
- 14 Oct 2021 Advantages and Disadvantages of Time and Material Contract (T&M) 17/854
- 18 Aug 2022 What are the consequences of poor requirements with software development projects? 17/271
- 29 Jan 2026 Honne and Tatemae: Why Do Japanese People Seem Excessively Polite and Indirect? 17/25
- 19 Jul 2022 The 12 Principles of Continuous Process Improvement 16/518
- 23 Sep 2021 INFOGRAPHIC: Top 9 Software Outsourcing Mistakes 15/437
- 04 Oct 2021 Product Validation: The Key to Developing the Best Product Possible 14/317
- 10 Nov 2022 Poor Code Indicators and How to Improve Your Code? 14/229
- 15 Jul 2022 Hansei Methodology: Continuously Engaging People in Improvement 14/695
- 05 Mar 2021 How do you minimize risks when you outsource software development? 14/332
- 07 Oct 2025 Case Study: Using the “Messaging House” Framework to Build a Digital Transformation Roadmap 14/82
- 19 Apr 2021 7 Most Common Time-Wasters For Software Development 13/555
- 19 Oct 2021 Is gold plating good or bad in project management? 13/808
- 31 Aug 2022 What are the best practices for software contract negotiations? 13/252
- 18 Dec 2023 The Cone of Uncertainty in Scrum & Requirement Definition 13/694
- 06 Jun 2022 HEIJUNKA: The art of leveling production 12/544
- 01 Mar 2023 Bug Prioritization - What are the 5 levels of priority? 12/230
- 05 Jun 2023 Fractional, Part-Time (virtual) or Interim CTO: Who Will Cover Your Business Needs? 11/140
- 10 Apr 2024 The Parking Lot Method: Unlocking a Simple Secret to Supercharge Your Productivity 11/472
- 18 Oct 2021 Key Elements to Ramping Up a Large Team 11/1186
- 08 Oct 2022 KPI - The New Leadership 11/595
- 07 Jul 2022 Managing Project Execution Terms 11/408
- 28 Jul 2022 POC, Prototypes, Pilots and MVP: What Are the Differences? 10/687
- 19 Sep 2022 Jidoka in Software Development and Odoo ERP/MRP 10/516
- 12 Aug 2022 What is End-to-end project management? 10/433
- 02 May 2022 What Is RAID in Project Management? (With Pros and Cons) 10/808
- 12 Dec 2021 Zero Sum Games Agile vs. Waterfall Project Management Methods 10/407
- 28 Oct 2022 Build Operate Transfer (B.O.T) Model in Software Outsourcing 9/398
- 31 Oct 2021 Tips to Fail Fast With Outsourcing 9/387
- 11 Jan 2024 What are the Benefits and Limitations of Augmented Intelligence? 9/474
- 04 Oct 2022 Which ERP implementation strategy is right for your business? 9/305
- 01 Jan 2023 How To Use Poka-Yoke (Mistake Proofing) Technique To Improve Software Quality 9/640
- 26 Sep 2024 Successful Project Management Techniques You Need to Look Out For 9/395
- 12 Mar 2024 How do you create FOMO in software prospects? 8/164
- 23 Jun 2024 Best Practices for Managing Project Escalations 8/204
- 05 Sep 2023 The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects 8/191
- 10 Dec 2023 Pain points of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 8/447
- 22 May 2022 What are common mistakes that new or inexperienced managers make? 8/284
- 02 Nov 2022 Difference between Change Management and Project Management 8/231
- 18 Jul 2021 How To Ramp Up An Offshore Software Development Team Quickly 8/589
- 17 Feb 2022 Prioritizing Software Requirements with Kano Analysis 7/299
- 02 Dec 2021 3 Ways to Avoid Scope Creep in IT Consulting 7/205
- 20 Jul 2022 Software Myths and Realities 7/876
- 14 Jun 2022 Example and Excel template of a RACI chart in Software Development 7/794
- 09 May 2022 Build one to throw away vs Second-system effect: What are differences? 7/313
- 06 Jun 2022 Change Management at the Project Level 6/305
- 11 Jan 2022 Lean Thinking and Lean Transformation 6/256
- 24 Nov 2023 The project management paradox: Achieving MORE by doing LESS 6/213
- 27 Jan 2020 Should a project manager push developers to work more hours due to mistakes of manager schedule setting? 6/431
- 06 Mar 2024 [SemRush] What Are LSI Keywords & Why They Don‘t Matter 6/172
- 12 Aug 2024 Understanding Google Analytics in Mumbai: A Beginner's Guide 5/98
- 11 Jul 2022 Lean software development - the game-changer in the digital age 5/239
- 13 Jan 2020 Quiz: Test your understanding project cost management 5/600
- 15 May 2022 20 Common Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Project Managers 5/275
- 01 Jun 2020 Japan Business Review (JBR) 5/326
- 07 Dec 2023 12 project management myths to avoid 5/185
- 26 Dec 2023 Improving Meeting Effectiveness Through the Six Thinking Hats 5/251
- 05 Jan 2024 Easy ASANA tips & tricks for you and your team 5/195
- 03 Jan 2023 Organizing your agile teams? Think about M.A.T (Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose) 5/368
- 30 Nov 2023 Project Managers, Focus on Outcomes — Not Deliverables 5/155
- 12 Mar 2022 The u-Japan concept 4/284
- 01 Dec 2023 Laws of Project Management 4/296
- 06 Nov 2019 How to Access Software Project Size? 4/247
- 28 Dec 2021 8 types of pricing models in software development outsourcing 4/426
- 10 May 2022 Levels of Teamwork 3/192
- 01 Aug 2022 Is planning "set it and forget it" or "set it and check it"? 3/277
- 01 May 2024 Warren Buffett’s Golden Rule for Digital Transformation: Avoiding Tech Overload 3/203
- 02 Jun 2024 Reviving Ancient Wisdom: The Spiritual Side of Project Management 2/226
- 21 Jun 2024 Dead Horses and the Escalation of Commitment 2/137
- 01 Mar 2024 10 Project Management Myths 2/138
- 14 Mar 2024 Why should you opt for software localization from a professional agency? 2/133
- 17 Oct 2021 Does Fast Tracking increase project cost? 2/363
What is Yokoten?
Yokoten means “horizontal deployment”. It refers to the practice of copying good results of kaizen in one area to other areas. Yokoten applies more broadly to copying product design ideas as well as better practices in general.
“Best practice sharing” comes close to the meaning of yokoten. In modern business that phrase often means e-mailing PowerPoint presentations, comparing results between divisions and debating the differences between various round fruits.
In project management, Yokoten is a Japanese manufacturing concept that is especially relevant to Project Managers. Yokoten means 'Best Practice Sharing'.
Yoko: Sideways
Tenkai: Development
It's the best translation of a term adopted by Toyota. It reflects the idea of transferring ideas and information among peers.
Yokoten builds on another, more familiar concept: 'Kaizen'
Kaizen is a continuous flow of improvements. Everyone on your team has the right - and responsibility - to spot ways to do things better.
Once you find an idea that works, through Kaizen, the next thing to do is to share it. That's Yokoten. In Toyota's usage, it carries the ideas of:
- sharing a new idea
- transmitting it across the organization (rather than top-down)
- allowing others to copy it
- co-operation between teams
- a shared sense of responsibility and success
Yokoten binds teams and work-groups together into a larger team. For Toyota, it has a big impact on results. It is a 'success-multiplier'.
Where does Yokoten Happen within the Problem Solving Cycle?
Within the 8 step practical problem solving process known as TBP (Toyota Business Practice) the yokoten activity happens in step 8.
- Clarify the problem
- Break down the problem
- Set a target
- Analyze the root cause
- Develop countermeasures
- See countermeasures through
- Evaluate both results and process
- Standardize successes, learn from failures
Within the PDCA cycle yokoten happens in the Act (A) stage, corresponding to step 8 above.
Lesson Learned Meetings are not Enough
Your team members could go further. Encourage them to share new discoveries among themselves. Give them permission to see what other team members are doing.
Your role is to encourage this and get the word out. Simply copelling people to copy innovations and improvements is a step. But for sustainable personal growth and team performance improvements, you need more.
It's attitudes and thinking that people need to share, copy, and adopt. We only really learn lessons when we adopt new ideas and the thinking behind them.
Why Are We Slow to Copy Good Practices through Yokoten?
Yokoten is an essential part of long-term success in a lean culture, but can also have a big impact on short-term results. Yokoten is a success multiplier. Perform a good kaizen and copy the results, and you immediately duplicate the impact. Yet we don’t hear so much about yokoten. Why is this? In a typical company the best practices can become lost among the noise, buried beneath the day-to-day fire-fighting or even deliberately hidden from others in to make one’s own self or group look good. There may be localized incentives in place that prevent yokoten from happening. There are other obstacles to yokoten, including a lack of documented standard as a result of kaizen, weak “go see” culture, or no metrics or ways to agree on what is in fact a better practice.
Explore more on these topics
Guest Blogging: The Definitive Guide
Top Trending Topics
Share This
Link copied!
Recently Updated News