What is an Agile Coach ? And How to Become an Agile Coach?

We have seen in recent times that more and more organizations are tilting toward the Agile methodology and this is giving rise to the demand for the jobs related to Agile Coach. Today we are going to throw light on this and learn all about Agile Coach. Definitely, the adoption of agile in various teams is seeing a rise and with this, the role of Agile Coach has also become very dominant. So, keeping this in mind, today we are going to explain all about this role, how you can become one and what are the roles and responsibilities of a coach in an agile team. After you finish this page, you are going to have a fair understanding of this area and you can choose a better career for yourself with the best agile coach training for your own and have a great future. But before this, let us learn the basics of this and know all about it.

Who is an Agile Coach in an Agile Team?

When a company or team works on the agile methodology, the person who is responsible for creating and improving all the processes that are needed to keep the project running is called agile coach. The person can be an employee of the same company or they can be hired on a contract basis. There are many practices that are being followed in the teams before Agile and the need for the agile coach mainly arises when the company is going to transition from the traditional methods to the Agile methodology. The coach will guide the team and make them aware of the various agile practices that they need to follow in the team. It is the main responsibility of the coach to make sure that the team is well versed with the agile principles and are ready to implement them in the team as well.

There are various Agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban, and Scaled Agile Framework and the person who is suitable for the role of the coach will have a lot of experience in these methodologies. They can come from various backgrounds that could include project management, software development, product management, and IT as well. As the team can face many challenges when they are delivering the products in the market, it is the duty of the Agile coach to make sure that the team is aware of those challenges and are able to overcome them and the project works in a smooth manner.

What is the Need for an Agile Coach in a Team?

We all know that Agile is easy to understand but it takes time and effort to master this. There are many times the organization faces issues when they are switching to this methodology. To make the transition smooth and realistic it is very necessary to have a coach by your side. Agile does offer a one size fits all kind of solution but when it is needed to implement in the team, there are various factors that are needed to be considered. In those crucial times, the agile coach is going to give way in the right direction and help to find the remedy to the given issues. They can crave the path of the right solutions for the team so that this transition fits the team’s requirements.

Now that we have got a picture of what an agile coach is and why we need an agile coach, we are going to learn about the roles and responsibilities of various kinds of coaches in the team.

Agile Coach Roles

Based on the type of business, the role of the agile coach in the team can be temporary or permanent. Mostly the small and mid-size businesses prefer to keep the coach on a temporary or contractual basis so that they are able to help the team while transitioning and understanding how the agile methodology works. And once the team is comfortable with the shift, it is easier for the company to part ways. There could be a coach looking after multiple agile teams in an organization. The role of the coach in an organization is not only to embrace the agile methodology in the company but also to help the team to keep this practice in the long run. They help in implementing this methodology in the team.

Also Read : Agile vs V Model

Agile Coach Responsibilities

If we talk about the responsibilities that come with this role, then a few of them are mentioned below:

Coach the team based on Agile Functionalities

When you are working as a coach for the team, you should have a proper understanding of all the functionalities of these methodologies. There are various practices that are included in this. So, when you are part of a team that is not fully aware of these functionalities, it is the responsibility of the coach to coach the team about them and make sure that they are aware of what they are working towards and what is expected from them. The coaching of the team is the main responsibility of the coach.

Integrated related methodologies in the company

The members of the team might not be aware of all the functionalities of agile and you might need to integrate the teams into the organization. So, it is the responsibility of the coach to make sure that the teams across the organization are very well integrated. Finding the right practice for the team also comes under the coach. Based on the project requirements, the agile coach will choose the right methodologies of Agile and help the members of the team to understand as well as implement agile methodologies in the project.

Training and navigating the project

A good coach will know how to work with the team and know when it is time for the employees to get the training for understanding the basic principles of agile. They will help the team to arrange the training and also help them while navigating through the application and various practices. They have to work as a leader in the team and make sure that the team understands what is changing and is comfortable in implementing the new methodology in their workplace.

Important skills

There are various important skills that should be present in the coach when they are responsible for the agile team. They should have a stronghold on methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. Not only this, they should be aware of the best practices and have a heavy experience as the scrum master or in the agile methodology. They should be aware of agile software development and have great interpersonal skills so that they can lead the team in the right direction. With a good communication style and great patience, the agile coach can shape the future of the team with the agile practice in the project.

Types of Agile Coaches

There are three main types of agile coaches that we see in agile teams. So below we are going to explain each of them and see what they bring to the table.

1. Agile Coach- Process

2. Agile Coach- Delivery

3. Enterprise Agile Coach

Agile Coach- Process

This is one of the main patterns of the coaches as they are responsible for the smooth transition and the shift of the team to the agile methodology. They are going to have extensive experience and with the approach of command and control to the collaborative one, they help the team to work in this transition in a smooth way. They are responsible for the agility in the team and they can manage multiple teams at once. Their main responsibilities include the training and mentoring of the team, mentoring the scrum masters and the owners of the products, facilitating changes that teams have to adopt for this new methodology. Not only this, they also have an experience that can be used to contract the vendors and customers and have better success rates for the whole organization.

Agile Coach- Delivery

As there are various agile-based frameworks and the coach for this role is responsible to choose the right one for their team and have a successful delivery of the project that too at a very sustainable rate for the whole team. They work with the stakeholders and have better agility in the team for the long period. They are responsible for mentoring the team and making them understand how the cycle time can be reduced along with maintaining the quality of the product of delivery. They improve the predictability of the solution delivery and make sure the stakeholders are engaged regularly and the business value in the project is being maintained.

Enterprise Agile Coach

As understood from the name, the enterprise agile coach in the team works at an enterprise level. While the roles and responsibilities are the same as of the coach for process and delivery, they have to learn all about the organizational structure, the business value, enterprise change management, executive leadership additionally. There are additional agile frameworks like Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Large-scale Scrum (LeSS), or Disciplined Agile Delivery (DaD) that are specially designed for enterprise and the enterprise coach for Agile should be aware of them. They are not actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the team, rather they are more concerned about the structural changes that are needed to be implemented in the team. They work with the senior leadership and understand how agile is going to be a benefit for the whole organization. They make sure that the team has a sustainable plan for the future on the enterprise level to introduce the agile framework in the team.

How to become one?

If after reading the roles and responsibilities that come with the agile coach, you are getting excited and looking for a way that will help you gain some experience then the below tips will help you:

One of the members of the team that is exposed to agile practices is the product manager. If you are working as a product manager already, you can take the role more seriously and get more experience to become the agile coach in the team. You can take the role of Agile Team facilitator in a team like Scrum Master and this will give you an edge to understand the framework in a deeper way.

One of the major ways to have a better shot at a career as an agile coach is by having agile coach certification. More and more companies are looking for certified agile coaches for their teams. There are various agile coaching certification modules that you can learn online and make sure that you are aware of the basics of agile and have a good understanding of these concepts.

If you do not have experience working in an agile team, you should look for the projects where the agile methodology is already implemented and the team is following those practices while delivering the project. This will help you understand how the team works so that you can develop the skills to manage them.

By building skills that are required for the agile coach, you can have the right path for you. You should make yourself aware of the frameworks, the best practices, have a better grip on communication skills, and also a hands-on experience with the project management tools for the team.

With these tips mentioned above and the certifications like ICP ACC certification, you will be able to have a good career path for yourself and there will be many companies seeking you for their projects. You can join various projects from all over the world and with your expertise, you will be able to learn more every day.

Also Read: Agile vs PMP

Final Word

When the agile coach is added to the team, the dependencies will be mitigated and there will be lesser issues that the project manager has to resolve. With the right person working as an agile coach for the team, the team will be able to learn more quickly about agile practices and the frameworks related to it. There are various options for you to decide if you want to enter this path in your career. There are various jobs for Agile Team facilitators and this path is going to help you a lot.

You can learn all about agile and various career options with StarAgile as here you are going to find dedicated professionals that will help you understand this methodology in a better way and you will be able to decide what is right for you. Here you can check out the Agile Coach interview questions. So do not just sit back and think, it is time to make the move and get started in your career.

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