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.

1. Evoking Excellence
Through Agile Coaching
Chris Chan
Agile 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!

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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

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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

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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

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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…

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c2reflexions.com/2011/07/10/i-am-an-agile-plumber/

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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

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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

17. 17
Agile Coaching Competency Framework
Lyssa Adkins, Agile Coaching Institute

18. 18
© 2015 Lynne Cazaly
Used with permission
www.lynnecazaly.com

19. 19
Teaching
A retrospective is […]
Coach Client
Here is how planning
poker works

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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 [….]

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Consulting
Do [….] and then do [….]
I have a problem with [….]
Coach Client

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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?

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Coaching
What are you trying
to achieve?
A, B, C, D
May I offer an
observation?
Coach Client
Why is that a
problem?

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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

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Situational Coaching based on
3 Stages of Learning
Shu: Novice, newbie, learn a technique, follow rule
Ha: Mid-level, experienced practitioner, collect techniques, break the rule
Ri: Master, invent/blend techniques, be the rule
From: Aikido

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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

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www.meetup.com/AgileCoach
www.agilecoachcampaustralia.org
Coaches have learning journey too
www.coachfederation.org/icfcredentials/core-competencies
www.icagile.com/icp-agile-coaching

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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

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@c2reflexions
linkedin.com/in/chanchris
c2reflexions.com
chris@c2reflexions.com
Conference
www.agilecoachcampaustralia.org
Melbourne 21 March 2015
Meetup User Groups
Agile Coaching Circles: www.meetup.com/AgileCoach
Lean Coffee: www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Lean-Coffee
Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS): www.meetup.com/LargeScaleScrum
I hope to be a disruptive force
to those who think the way
we develop products and
services is just fine

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KEEP
CALM
AND
EVOKE
EXCELLENCE
#AGILECOACH