Rachel Davies is an agile coach who gave a presentation on improving collaboration and building trust in teams. She discussed how trust is the foundation for teamwork and collaboration according to agile principles. She provided tools and techniques for building trust such as sharing personal histories, behavioral profiling, raising awareness of cognitive biases, establishing working agreements, and focusing on credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation in the trust equation. The presentation emphasized that building trust takes time and recommended supporting the team, creating transparency, asking for help, and displaying patience.

1. Improve
Collaboration,
Build Trust
Rachel Davies, Agile Coach
rachel@agilexp.com

2. A bit about me
• Agile software developer from 2000
• Co-author of “Agile Coaching”
• Agile Alliance board
• Conference organizer
XP2010, Agile2010, Agile Coaches
Gathering…
• Trainer
Next Agile Coaching course 27-28 April

3. And you?
• Raise your hand if you’re…
 new to Agile?
 using Agile?
Do you:
 test software?
 write software?
 specify software?
 coach teams?

4. Co-operative Game

5. Agile depends on Teamwork
⇒
Trust is the foundation of teamwork

6. Agile Manifesto
• Individuals and interactions
over processes and tools
• Working software over
comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over
contract negotiation
• Responding to change over
following a plan
http://www.agilemanifesto.org

7. Trust can be lost

8. Trust is hard to re-build

9. How do we build trust?

10. Will this help?
Trust is all about vulnerability

11. Build Trust
Getting to know the team

12. Tools
• Sharing Personal
Histories
• Try Behavioural Profiling
– MBTI, Belbin, ..
• Awareness of Cognitive
Bias’

13. Working Agreements
Start the project with a
workshop to agree
how the team wants
to work together
• Make agreements
• Keep them
• Review when they are
broken

14. Trust Equation
T = (C + R + I ) / S
Where:
T = Trustworthiness
C = Credibility
R = Reliability
I = Intimacy
S = Self-orientation
Book: “The Trusted Advisor” by Maister, Green, & Galford

15. I can trust what you say about ..
Credibility comes from..
• Expertise
– Accurate
– Complete
– Admit when you don’t know!

16. I can trust you to ..
• Reliable
– Meet expectations
– Be consistent

17. I feel comfortable to talk ..
• Listen to your team
• Keep confidences
• Demonstrate you heard

18. I trust you care about others
• Self-orientation detracts from Trust
– You don’t have to get the credit
– Leave room for others

19. Balancing Act
Virginia Satir Coping Stances

20. What can you do ?

21. Support the Team
Display trust

22. Ask for Help

23. Create transparency

24. Be Patient
Building trust takes time

25. Other ideas?

26. Any Questions?
Or contact me:
Email: rachel@agilexp.com
Twitter: rachelcdavies
Blog: http://agilecoach.typepad.com/

27. References
• “The Trusted Advisor” by Maister, Green, &
Galford
• “Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team”
by Lencioni
• “Agile Coaching” by Davies & Sedley