Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Agile Coach
An Agile Coach is responsible for training and mentoring both individuals and teams on their Agile journey. They perform evaluations, and reviews of processes and methodologies. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Agile Coaches.
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Main Responsibilities of Agile Coach
The following list describes the typical responsibilities of an Agile Coach:
Address
Address team dynamics, coach in how to resolve conflict and resource constraints.
Advance
Advance best practices for scaling and optimizing the agile practice as the portfolio grows.
Amplify
Amplify Regulatory & Policy and Social Impact teams messaging and support development of policy.
Assess
Assess and adapt as needed to ensure quality of execution.
Assess team maturity and mentor the team where opportunities for improvement exist.
Assist in
Assist in educating new hires about Agile concepts and processes.
Assist in the development of strategic plans.
Assist teams to navigate through conflict.
Assist the team in tracking and communicating team progress and metrics.
Author
Author and publish regularly recurring Agile training materials.
Believe
Believe that their primary measure of success is the success of their team.
Build
Build high-performing teams by employing a servant leadership style and leading by example.
Build personal ties to develop a common understanding.
Build relationship with leaders.
Build trust and psychological safety with an emphasis on problem solving.
Coach
Coach and empower the scrum masters to develop agile mindset within the team.
Coach and help teams understand the difference between Project and Product deliver.
Coach and mentors squad members and senior leadership on Agile best practices.
Coach and train Agile best practices through the Agile Manifesto and Agile Principles.
Coach and Train CA Agile Central (Rally) as a tool to assist team efficiency.
Coach and train value in Agile ceremonies.
Coach for a contract project with one of the major banking clients in the Charlotte area.
Coach Senior Management in Agile best practices to aid adoption from top-down.
Coach team in identifying next steps to automate a CI / CD pipeline.
Coach team in the use of Agile practices and self-organization.
Coach teams and leaders on how to apply agile principles, values and practices effectively.
Coach teams through teaching rather telling.
Coach teams to achieve a strong collaborative and interactive team environment.
Coach the development team, help lead, ensure the "agile mindset” is fully adopted and understood.
Coach the organization on Agile principles and values.
Coach the Product Owner in their accountabilities and behaviors.
Coach who can work with multiple engineering teams to implement the right mix of agile practices.
Coach with the expert-level knowledge and experience to coach a complex team in a large organization.
Collaborate with
Collaborate on business case development and obtaining project funding.
Collaborate with the Squad Lead to prioritize the Product Backlog in order of business value.
Communicate
Communicate Agile process standards and provide on-boarding and training.
Communicate effectively, Engagement, Interpersonal Savvy, Strategic mindset.
Communicate the new way of working with groups outside of client digital incubator.
Conduct
Conduct Monthly Training classes to support the agency training program.
Conduct risk assessment of strategic, technical, finance, or business factors impacting the project.
Contribute to
Contribute to transforming a project-centric culture into a product-oriented one.
Create
Create and maintain documentation and facilitate presentations to all levels of the organization.
Create a safe environment where the squad can discuss problems openly, constructively and honestly.
Create a safe, supportive and participatory environment that produces ongoing mutual respect.
Create consistency between TMX agile clusters when possible.
Create informative reports on team's performance for the teams and management.
Design
Design and own the strategy for Agile adoption and maintenance.
Design and support full Agile transformation roll-outs.
Develop
Develop an agile mindset in teams and stakeholders.
Develop and document the agile processes and workflows.
Develop and execute quarterly agile maturity model.
Develop and execute the Kaizen and / or Agile Adoption Strategy.
Develop and maintains stakeholder relationships supporting agile product development.
Develop and refine training materials.
Develop highly effective working relationships based on trust.
Drive
Drive the organization-wide Agile adoption strategy and rollout of strategic execution plans.
Enhance
Enhance existing courses by implementing different software programs or technological components.
Ensure
Ensure framework been created based on Product needs that could be used in future.
Ensure that there are no obstructions and provide resolution for any challenges that arise.
Ensure the efficient use of Agility practices, procedures, methodologies and tools.
Ensure the facilities and artifacts of Agile teams are valued and up to date.
Ensure Yoti and BCorps values are applied to all products and activities.
Escalate
Escalate and track key ART metrics, to include impediments and execution.
Escalate to leadership where needed and where possible to remove impediments for the team(s).
Establish
Establish close and trusting relationships with the squad lead, Product Owner and Scrum Master.
Establish / lead Agile Communities of Practice and provides guidance in on-going activities.
Execute
Execute marketing strategies for key products and verticals.
Execute Scrum and Kanban methodology.
Facilitate
Facilitate communication and collaboration inside and outside the team.
Facilitate cross functional team coordination and communication across various technical teams.
Facilitate dependency management / risk management / impediment removal for the ART.
Facilitate end-to-end scoping and estimation.
Facilitate implementation and improvement of agile practices across the program.
Facilitate in the sharing of lessons learned across teams and departments.
Facilitate multi-team events like Scrum of Scrum, Big Room Planning, Retrospectives.
Facilitate relentless improvement for the ART.
Facilitate significant improvements to the operating model and the end-to-end delivery process.
Facilitate the design and mobilization of Agile teams.
Facilitate the design and mobilization of Agile teams around client value opportunities.
Facilitate the organizational transition to Agile ways of working & work closely with the teams.
Facilitate the organization in removing road blocks to speed up delivery and responsiveness.
Facilitate the resolution of team impediments.
Facilitate the sharing of lessons learned across teams and departments.
Follow
Follow the organization's development and propose solutions adapted to the level of Agile maturity.
Formulate
Formulate agendas and documents minutes, action items.
Foster
Foster a culture of ongoing learning.
Foster collaboration between teams and system-level stakeholders.
Foster discussion and ideation through agile guild discussions.
Foster teams and cultures that practice Agile and guide them into "our” agile methodology.
Get
Get mentoring from your colleagues.
Guide
Guide the team in the use of Agile practices and self-organization.
Guide the teams to develop and manage the user story.
Help
Help create high performing and highly collaborative squads that know how to swarm.
Help create standards and documentation across the domain.
Help define norms / agreements for the ART and enforce the agreements.
Help teams breakdown initiatives into Epics and User Stories to iteratively deliver value.
Help teams inspect, adapt, deliver and mature.
Help to cultivate an organizational culture that embraces this dynamic atmosphere.
Identify
Identify, assign, track, escalate, and resolve issues.
Identify emerging issues and trends to inform decision-making.
Identify and champion initiatives to remove organizational impediments.
Implement
Implement changes in response to shifting trends.
Implement processes, principles and practices across all levels and business units.
Implement in-person and electronic training programs focused on individual and teams performance.
Implement Scrum Practices.
Implement tools useful for Agile delivery.
Implement with dev team members agile technics such as BDD, TDD.
Instruct
Instruct managers on the basics of Agile tools, such as Scrum and Kanban.
Integrate
Integrate an Agile culture and process within our company's business.
Lead
Lead key business projects as needed.
Lead teams in all facets of Agile frameworks.
Lead the Scrum Community of Practice.
Lead the team to self-organization, cross-functionality and adoption of a mature Agile delivery.
Maintain
Maintain Agency Training plan curriculum and develops / trains new material as needed.
Maintain metrics that provide visibility to stakeholders on team-level progress and quality.
Maintain squad focus on creating output and not just on day to day tasks.
Make
Make decisions and take actions that will make a difference today and tomorrow.
Manage
Manage and optimize the flow of value through the ART.
Manage and / or participates in special projects and performs other duties as assigned.
Manage each initiative's scope and timeline.
Manage, organize and drive larger programs involving multiple teams working together.
Mentor
Mentor more junior Scrum Masters.
Monitor
Monitor progress and maintain key metrics to track teams progress.
Monitor team velocity and tracks daily progress against chosen Agile tool.
Motivate
Motivate and lead teams by instilling a mindset of collaboration and continuous process improvement.
Onboard
Onboard the business into Agile specifics at the beginning of the project / product.
Organize
Organize and facilitates the sprint planning meeting.
Oversee
Oversee all agile projects, ensuring there is high performance at the team level.
Oversee the development and maintenance of relevant documentation, templates, and knowledge sharing.
Participate
Participate in cross-divisional Agile transformation activities.
Perform
Perform evaluations, and reviews of processes and methodologies.
Perform feature prioritization, release planning, backlog refinement and sprint planning.
Perform hands-on training / coaching to teams in all aspects of Lean-Agile.
Promote
Promote and mentor passionate agilists within the organization.
Promote open, candid and ongoing communication.
Promote the Agile culture and mindset throughout the organization.
Promote the mindset of servant leadership.
Provide
Provide accurate and timely reporting of key marketing metrics.
Provide advice and guidance to assigned business / group on implementation of solutions.
Provide Agile subject matter advisor guidance and insight.
Provide coaching, guidance and support to squads and stakeholders.
Provide coaching plans and strategies to teams and individuals.
Provide hands-on coaching and mentoring to delivery teams.
Provide high-touch and hands-on team guidance, support and coaching.
Provide individual and thought leadership.
Provide leadership and instruction to multiple engineering teams.
Provide real time feedback to the methodology team based on experiences with software delivery teams.
Provide support to product owners.
Provide training to Stakeholders and Agile Teams.
Provide transparency of risks and progress.
Provide weekly reporting to management and organize delivery demos to the business.
Publish
Publish training calendar and conduct role-based trainings to successfully roll-out SAFe across org.
Push
Push boundaries and be fearless in experimentation to evoke meaningful change.
Receive
Receive general direction rather than supervision.
Recommend
Recommend and implement solutions based on analysis of issues and implications for the business.
Research
Research and create content for training, blogs and knowledge sharing.
Share
Share your knowledge, discuss about practices with peers through a community of practice.
Stay current with
Stay current with developments in Agile market trends and opportunities.
Support
Support Agile Center of Excellent and Communities of Practice within the client organization.
Support multiple Scrum Teams at one time, encouraging team growth, transparency, and empowerment.
Support Program Increment Planning Activities internally and for multiple agency clients.
Support teams methodically to increase their autonomy.
Support the Agile Coach and Scrum Masters in driving change.
Support the continuous improvement and ongoing maturation of Agile at USAC.
Support the implementation, maintenance, and sustainment of vendor solutions.
Support the product owner and product owner proxy to manage their backlog.
Teach
Teach and mentor others on new practices.
Track
Track and report on metrics related to project progress, status, and risks on a daily basis.
Track and report the team(s) performance, velocity, and progress to estimates.
Track product delivery and provide reports of progress against plan.
Train
Train teams and establishing skills that allow for the organization-wide adoption of Agile framework.
Train teams on Agile collaboration tools including Jira, Confluence.
Train the team on each specific process step throughout the project lifecycle.
Understand
Understand the changing business landscape, evolving client needs and trends in the industry.
Use
Use a system view in facilitating impediment removal at the team / program / value stream level.
Use existing software tools (Screenful, Aha, etc.).
Work with
Work across teams, groups and organizations.
Work closely with the Product Delivery Lead to ensure alignment between strategy and execution.
Work closely with the teams.
Work collaboratively and build relationships across teams and functions.
Most In-demand Hard Skills
The following list describes the most required technical skills of an Agile Coach:
Agile Principles
Agile Methodology
Agile Frameworks
Agile Practices
Safe
Coaching
Confluence
Lean
CSM
Product Owner
Devops
Less
Agile Coaching
XP
Agile Teams
Hands-On
Agile Practitioner
Agile Techniques
Agile Transformation
CSP
Software Development
Tools
Consulting
Jira Align
Pharmaceutical Industry
Scrum Master
Continuous Integration
IT
TDD
Adopting Agile
Agile Approaches
Rally
Valid Driving License
Pmi-Acp
User Stories
Agile Environment
Agile Ways Of Thinking
Principles And Concepts
Support Teams In Their Revising Processes
Most In-demand Soft Skills
The following list describes the most required soft skills of an Agile Coach:
Written and oral communication skills
Facilitation
Leadership
Collaborative
Presentation
Interpersonal skills
Conflict resolution
Mentoring
Coaching
Problem-solving attitude
Analytical ability
Organizational capacity
Adaptation to change
Situational awareness
Continual improvement
Empowerment
Curious
Ambiguity
Critical thinker
Lead diverse perspectives and deals effectively with ambiguity
Courage
Self-starter
Active listener
Decision-making
Delivering results
Flexible
Influence
Judgment
Learn new concepts quickly
Organized
