This document discusses an agile coaching approach called solution-focused coaching. It involves asking questions to help clients move toward solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Key aspects include: 1) Asking questions to define goals and elicit possible solutions, past successes, and resources rather than focusing on problems. 2) Using systemic questions to find differences that make a difference and circular questions to explore various perspectives. 3) Employing techniques like scales to measure progress, "miracle" questions to envision success, and interviews to explore steps toward solutions. 4) Applying this approach when coaching teams, individuals, and in meetings like retrospectives to help teams focus on improvements.

1. Solution
Focused
Approach to
Agile Coaching
Pierluigi Pugliese
ConneX o
X

2. Imagine...

3. What is an Agile Coach?
And many more roles...
Consultant Coach
Mentor Trainer
Client = Colleague, Team, Manager, Customer, ...

4. Coaching: opening Options
by asking questions

5. Questions
...that make the difference

6. Solution Focused:
Asking the right Questions
- Steve De Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg et al.
- “All of the Facts belong only to the
Problem, not to its Solution”
(Ludwig Wittgenstein)
Asking for Solutions is
more efficient than
digging in Problem analysis

7. 1
2. Experience
How? the difference
3. Find path to
solution, backwards
The
Goal
The
Client Problem
1. Move to the solution State

8. The Problem
The Goal

9. The Solution State

10. Where in Agile?
Team Coaching
1-to-1 Coaching
Meetings
It’s an attitude when asking questions!

11. Retrospectives
1. Set the stage
2. Envision a solution
3. Find the differences
4. Define the steps needed
(and action items!)
5. Close the Retrospective

12. Planning
Imagine...
- Our customer is delighted with our next delivery:
what does he like most in it?
- We have delivered a product that brings us ahead of
the competition: what have we done differently?

13. Customer Interactions
Imagine our product has
given you a real advantage
in X, what differences do
you notice most?

14. Coaching Solution Focused
- Define the goal - Elicit new options and
- Ask, don’t suggest past resources
- Don’t judge the - Focus on possible
negative solutions
- Appreciate the - Wait as much as needed!
positive

15. Techniques
Systemic Questions
Circular Questions
Scales
Miracles
Interviews

16. Systemic - What would be
Questions different?
- What resources did
you use?
Suppose you - How would you
have achieved recognise it?
your goal...

17. Systemic Questions
Find the difference that
makes the difference
and ask about it!

18. Why not why?
- Use the question “why”
sparingly
- Elicits values
- Promotes problem analysis
- Rationalises the irrational
- Stabilises the status quo

19. What else?
And what else?

20. Circular
Questions
- How would X do it?
- How would X notice it?
- What would X say?

21. Your turn...
- Organise in pairs:
Coach and Client
- Client wants to solve a
problem
- Coach asks Systemic
and Circular Questions
- Feedback
- Exchange roles, repeat
Feedback:
- Coach ➠ Client: % in Solution State
- Client ➠ Coach: Non Solution-Focused questions

22. Scales 10
Goal
Steps to
Solution
5
Now
Past
Resources
1

23. Miracles
- Imagine... a totally normal evening
- Sleep normally
- A miracle happens and the problem you had is gone
- But you don’t know that, because you were sleeping
- You wake up in the morning: how would you
recognise the problem is gone? How would the
others react?

24. Interviews
- I [the coach] am a journalist of the
[newspaper, magazine, TV, radio,
internet news...]
- I’m here to interview you [the
Client] because you have solved
brilliantly the problem X
- All our listeners/viewers/readers/...
want to know how you did it
- What was the last step to it?
- What was the step before the last?
- What was/is different since you
achieved your goal?

25. Your turn...
- Organise in pairs:
Coach and Client
- Client wants to solve a
problem
- Coach asks using all
techniques
- Feedback
- Exchange roles, repeat
Feedback:
- Coach ➠ Client: % in Solution State
- Client ➠ Coach: Non Solution-Focused questions

26. Imagine...
- Back to the office, you have
used successfully these
techniques
- What did you do differently?
- Where did you apply them?
- How did your colleagues
notice you are now mastering
these techniques?

27. Questions?
Now or per email ppugliese: [at] connexxo [dot] com

28. Pierluigi Pugliese
ConneX o
X
http://blog.connexxo.com