--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: However, we must remind everyone that…" description: "\"“However, we must remind everyone that improvement of daily work is more important than daily work itself, and that all teams must have dedicated capac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/gene-kim-2268_daily-work_however-we-must-remind-everyone-that-imp_1668698.jpg" --- # However, we must remind everyone that improvement of daily… ![“However, we must remind everyone that improvement of daily work is more important than daily work itself, and that all teams must have dedicated capacity for this (e.g., reserving 20% of all cycles for improvement work, scheduling one day per week or one week per month, etc.). Without doing this…” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/gene-kim-2268_daily-work_however-we-must-remind-everyone-that-imp_1668698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/gene-kim-2268_daily-work_however-we-must-remind-everyone-that-imp_1668698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/gene-kim-2268_daily-work_however-we-must-remind-everyone-that-imp_1668698.jpg) > ““However, we must remind everyone that improvement of daily work is more important than daily work itself, and that all teams must have dedicated capacity for this (e.g., reserving 20% of all cycles for improvement work, scheduling one day per week or one week per month, etc.). Without doing this, the productivity of the team will almost certainly grind to a halt under the weight of its own technical and process debt.”” [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teams must allocate dedicated time for continuous improvement, otherwise technical debt will cripple productivity. **In simple terms:** Set regular time for improvement work. Key Takeaway Reserve time for process upgrades. Themes productivity process improvement Mood pragmatic motivational Type management operational When to use this quote - software development - project planning - team retrospectives - training sessions Key Concepts lean agile technical debt Questions to Reflect On - How will you protect improvement time? - What improvement could yield the biggest impact? A Different Perspective Improvement time may be hard to protect under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daily work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-work/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) ## Related quotes > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [Improving daily work is even more important than doing daily work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/improving-daily-work-is-even-more-important-than-doing-daily-work/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [There is always room for improvement and there is always something to work for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-dias/there-is-always-room-for-improvement-and-there-is-always-something-to/) [Ruben Dias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-dias/) > [Continuous Improvement will only work when people actually want to see improvement. Else, don't bother even trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/continuous-improvement-will-only-work-when-people-actually-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In order to be happy, human beings must feel they are continuing to grow. Clearly, we must adopt the concept of continuous improvement as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/in-order-to-be-happy-human-beings-must-feel-they-are-continuing-to/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Remember, it goes beyond reducing WIP. Being able to take needless work out of the system is more important than being able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/remember-it-goes-beyond-reducing-wip-being-able-to-take-needless-work/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Furthermore, integrating the objectives of QA and Operations into everyone’s daily work reduces firefighting, hardship, and toil, while making people more productive and increasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/furthermore-integrating-the-objectives-of-qa-and-operations-into/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“By relentless and constant experimentation in their daily work, they were able to continually increase capacity, often without adding any new equipment or hiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/by-relentless-and-constant-experimentation-in-their-daily-work-they/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high-performing manufacturing operations require and actively promote learning—instead of work being rigidly defined, the system of work is dynamic, with line workers performing experiments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performing-manufacturing-operations-require-and-actively-promote/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [It is not for a care-free existence I am fighting, but for the possibility of devoting myself to the task which I believe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/it-is-not-for-a-care-free-existence-i-am-fighting-but-for-the/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [We honor life when we work. The type of work is not important: the fact of work is. All work feeds the soul if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/we-honor-life-when-we-work-the-type-of-work-is-not-important-the-fact/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [Things come in a quieter way to me. It's not laziness, and it's not diffidence. I just know how far you have to bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/things-come-in-a-quieter-way-to-me-it-s-not-laziness-and-it-s-not/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I date fairly often, but my work is much more important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-clark/i-date-fairly-often-but-my-work-is-much-more-important/) [Dave Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-clark/) > [“What matters are five key norms,” he told the audience. Teams need to believe that their work is important. Teams need to feel their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/what-matters-are-five-key-norms-he-told-the-audience-teams-need-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More by Gene Kim > [“for those organizations that provided a stock ticker symbol, we found that high performers had 50% higher market capitalization growth over three years. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/for-those-organizations-that-provided-a-stock-ticker-symbol-we-found/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“A critical part of the Second Way is making wait times visible, so you know when your work spends days sitting in someone’s queue—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/a-critical-part-of-the-second-way-is-making-wait-times-visible-so-you/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“when something does go wrong, we conduct blameless post-mortems, not to punish anyone, but to better understand what caused the accident and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-something-does-go-wrong-we-conduct-blameless-post-mortems-not-to/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-microsoft-quipped-that-we-used/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“To even get feedback from our integration process would require twenty-four to thirty-six hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/to-even-get-feedback-from-our-integration-process-would-require/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“work can bounce between teams endlessly due to incomplete information, or work can be passed onto downstream work centers with problems that remain completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/work-can-bounce-between-teams-endlessly-due-to-incomplete-information/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“practicing five minutes daily is better than practicing once a week for three hours. And if you want to create a genuine culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/practicing-five-minutes-daily-is-better-than-practicing-once-a-week/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“habits are what enable mastery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/habits-are-what-enable-mastery/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“20% on detailed planning (Their poor throughput and high lead times were misattributed to faulty estimation, and so, hoping to get a better answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/20-on-detailed-planning-their-poor-throughput-and-high-lead-times/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Features are always a gamble. If you’re lucky, ten percent will get the desired benefits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/features-are-always-a-gamble-if-you-re-lucky-ten-percent-will-get-the/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“I listen to Wes and Patty brainstorm ideas to reduce yet another dependency on Brent when something starts to bother me. Erik called WIP,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/i-listen-to-wes-and-patty-brainstorm-ideas-to-reduce-yet-another/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [The status quo (of development) pre-ordains failure from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/the-status-quo-of-development-pre-ordains-failure-from-the-very/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Alert fatigue is the single biggest problem we have right now…We need to be more intelligent about our alerts or we’ll all go insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/alert-fatigue-is-the-single-biggest-problem-we-have-right-now-we-need/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) [Explore all 175 Gene Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More Daily work quotes > [“Sometimes its was better to keep silent, Because when we are silent we know what we forget back in life, In this fast daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pradeep-h-hivare/sometimes-its-was-better-to-keep-silent-because-when-we-are-silent-we/) Pradeep H Hivare > [Our daily work ethic - that need to always do better and top our last performance - is what makes USWNT football players who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-krieger/our-daily-work-ethic-that-need-to-always-do-better-and-top-our-last/) [Ali Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-krieger/) > [“Joyfully we undertake our daily work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/joyfully-we-undertake-our-daily-work/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run. The daily work--that goes on, and it adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/wars-and-elections-are-both-too-big-and-too-small-to-matter-in-the/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Once you are accustomed to giving your body a daily workout, you feel constrained when you don't exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/once-you-are-accustomed-to-giving-your-body-a-daily-workout-you-feel/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [The welfare, the happiness, the energy and spirit of the men and women who do the daily workis the underlying necessity of all prosperity……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-welfare-the-happiness-the-energy-and-spirit-of-the-men-and-women/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“You're thinking of revolution as a great all-or-nothing. I think of it as one more morning in a muggy cotton field, checking the undersides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/you-re-thinking-of-revolution-as-a-great-all-or-nothing-i-think-of-it/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/i-guess-we-all-like-to-be-recognized-not-for-one-piece-of-fireworks/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [“Grandpa, in his male armchair, deaf aid occasionally whistling and pipe making a hubble-bubble noise as he sucked on it, would shake his head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/grandpa-in-his-male-armchair-deaf-aid-occasionally-whistling-and-pipe/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [The Prophet introduced a system of prayer in that it was interwoven into man's daily work: a prayer in the morning when he arose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/the-prophet-introduced-a-system-of-prayer-in-that-it-was-interwoven/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [Results should not be too voluntarily aimed at or too busily thought of. They are sure to float up of their own accord from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/results-should-not-be-too-voluntarily-aimed-at-or-too-busily-thought/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Nothing about the daily workings of the prison system focuses its inhabitants’ attention on what life back on the outside, as a free citizen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/nothing-about-the-daily-workings-of-the-prison-system-focuses-its/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [I used to think hard work made me come alive, honestly. I used to have a daily work schedule with millions of things on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-bingbing/i-used-to-think-hard-work-made-me-come-alive-honestly-i-used-to-have/) [Li Bingbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-bingbing/) > [It feels like it is a daily work and an ongoing task to undo all of the f - - g programming that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/it-feels-like-it-is-a-daily-work-and-an-ongoing-task-to-undo-all-of/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) [Browse all 120 Daily work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“However, we must remind everyone that improvement of daily work is more important than daily work itself, and that all teams must have dedicated capacity for this (e.g., reserving 20% of all cycles for improvement work, scheduling one day per week or one week per month, etc.). 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