This document discusses the role of an Agile coach and why organizations engage Agile coaches. It begins by outlining the speaker's experience transitioning between different Agile frameworks over 15 years. It then explains that an Agile coach helps organizations achieve excellence, transform culture, develop people, and innovate through practices like mentoring, facilitating, teaching, and consulting. The document differentiates between types of Agile coaches and discusses common myths about coaching. It emphasizes that coaching is not about having all the answers but rather facilitating self-discovery. The document provides resources for developing coaching competencies and engaging an effective coach.
2. 2
Outline
1. Why an Agile Coach?
2. What is an Agile Coach?
3. Coaching Myths
4. Engaging An Agile Coach
5. Closing
www.flickr.com/photos/julochka/9458790153/
3. 3
My Journey
Waterfall,
Iterative,
RAD
XP ScrumAgile
Lean / Kanban,
Scaling Agile,
Product Development,
Agile / Business Transformation
1998 2003 2004 2007
Lean Startup,
Design Thinking
Business Model
Innovation
Large-Scale
Scrum
2008 2009 2012
Developer ArchitectXP Developer ScrumMaster
2005
Agile Coach Enterprise Agile Coach
AHA!
5. 5
Why an Agile Coach?
Ask for Help
Since the task of introducing a new idea into an
organization is a big job, look for people and
resources to help your efforts. The job of introducing
a new idea into an organization is too big for one
person, especially a newcomer who doesn’t know
the ropes. Ask as many people as you can for help
when you need it. Don’t try to do it alone.
- Mary Lynn Manns & Linda Rising
7. 7
Coaching is about Evoking Excellence
Help the organisation be
competitive and achieve
astonishing results
Transform culture
Build a learning organisation
Develop our people’s
capability
Innovate our product streams
8. 8
It’s about developing high performance
Performance
Adapted from Katzenback & Smith, The Wisdom of Teams, 2003
Working Group
Team Effectiveness
Potential Team
Pseudo Team
Real Team
Great Team / High Performing Team
Team members who are
deeply committed to each
other's personal growth
and success
9. 9
Rolling out Agile in a Large Enterprise, Gabrielle Benefield
Average productivity increase
Saved per year for each Agile Coach
10. 10
Agile coaching is really important because we
have a bunch of crappy Agile happening in the
world right now. Coaches are an integral part
to helping teams get to astonishing results
because it’s all in the interactions of human
beings where that happens.
- Lyssa Adkins
11. 11
Someone who watches the
process as a whole and calls the
team’s attention to impending
problems or opportunities for
improvement.
- Kent Beck
An Agile Coach is…
13. 13
Types of Agile Coaches
Enterprise
Agile
Coach
Agile
Coach
Agile
Team
Facilitator
14. 14
Types of Agile Coaches
Enterprise
Agile
Coach
Agile
Coach
Agile
Team
Facilitator
Facilitation,
mentoring, training
and collaboration,
typically within the
confines of one or
two Agile teams
15. 15
Types of Agile Coaches
Enterprise
Agile
Coach
Agile
Coach
Agile
Team
Facilitator
Develops teams,
mentors others,
advises managers,
mentoring and looking
out toward the wider
organisation
16. 16
Types of Agile Coaches
Enterprise
Agile
Coach
Agile
Coach
Agile
Team
Facilitator
Develops leaders,
focuses on culture,
catalyses change
at all levels in an
organisation
20. 20
Mentoring
Have you tried [….]
because ….
“Poor collaboration leads to silos.
Silos leads to waterfall.
Waterfall leads to suffering.”
Coach Client
That could work, try it.
I have a problem with [….]
22. 22
Facilitation
Time for everyone
to vote
Wield the light torch to support team’s
self organisation and the group’s process
Coach Client
Who’s going to take
that action?
23. 23
Coaching
What are you trying
to achieve?
A, B, C, D
May I offer an
observation?
Coach Client
Why is that a
problem?
24. 24
Professional Coaching
www.coachfederation.org
Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and
creative process that inspires them to maximize
their personal and professional potential
Coaches honor the client as the
expert in his or her life and work and
believe every client is creative,
resourceful and whole
Encourage client
self-discovery
Elicit client-
generated
solutions and
strategies
Discover, clarify,
and align with
what the client
wants to achieve
Hold the client
responsible and
accountable
30. 30
Coaching Myths and Misconceptions
Agile Coach does not need to…
• Be correct
• Be the expert of everything agile
• Have all the answers
• Always have a view
• Manage
• “Fix” it or be the “Silver Bullet”
A Coach works in isolation
Coaching is an event
32. 32
Engaging An Agile Coach
Practitioner with hands on experience
Purist vs Pragmatist
Breadth and depth of understanding &
knowledge
Competencies
Values aligned
Length of engagement
Internal vs external