If you are an agile trainer, you may “parachute in” a client’s site for a week or two, conduct training and then be off to your next engagement. But If you’re an agile coach, you stay with the client. You “come along for the ride” as they say. Hence the client’s journey becomes the coach’s journey.
Implementing the Transformation
So you’ve embarked on a scaled agile transformation. You followed the “Implementing 1-2-3” process (i. train the change agents, ii. train management, iii. train teams and launch a train). What happens next? SAFe publishes the Implementation Roadmap*, which extends the 1-2-3 process with iv. “coach ART execution” and v. “sustain and improve.” Are we good now?
Probably not enough detail. How is a coach going to run with this?
Coaching Definition
Before we answer that, let’s ask a more fundamental question: what is coaching? According to the ICF it’s
Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment.
Catch those keywords: partnering, inspiring, maximizing potential. When you consider that agile is all about managing uncertainty and complexity, this sounds like a great definition for “agile coach”!
Agile Coaching Areas
Back to the coach’s journey. Here are just some of the many areas I address during a client’s agile transformation:
- Impart the agile mindset – not just another process
- Alignment throughout the organization
- Inline coaching
- Maturity assessments
- Change management
- Personal agility
- Learning the client’s business/technical domains
- Coaching and mentoring lean-agile leaders
- Servant leadership
- Developing guidance and operational models
- Technical guidance (such as tooling, CICD)
- Attending ceremonies (standups ,SoS, CoP, PI planning ..)
- Metrics definition/analysis
- Workshops (backlog refinement, story writing)
- Recommendations and Initiatives
Coaching Traits
Often we lump “trainer” and “coach” together, as if they’re interchangeable. “I do some training and some coaching.” Sounds typical right?
Not quite. These are distinct roles and, although there are some common attributes (e.g. presentation skills), there are many unique traits, such as facilitation, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, patience, recognition, tough love, and so forth. Quite a list, I know.
Good Parenting
The best way to sum it up is that a coach’s role is similar to parenting. Depending on the stage of your child’s “journey” you may be giving frequent/explicit instruction, re-training, correcting, advising, mentoring, encouraging, rewarding, etc. And like a good parent, you can’t just parachute in/out. At the same time, you don’t want to be a “helicopter parent” either; hovering over the child, trying to meet their every need and shielding them from criticism, worry or failure. Indeed a parent’s job is to raise the child up to be able deal with the pressures of life and even thrive in the midst of challenges.
The same goes for an agile coach. Remember: an agile transformation is challenging; stressful and often painful. But it’s very rewarding. An agile coach helps the customer embrace change, grow and even thrive in the midst of their transformation.
References
- See SAFe’s Implementation Roadmap for more info
- Coaching Definition by International Coach Federation
- The Rollout (2016, Alex Yakima) uses story format to illustrate implementing SAFe in an organization