Overview of the Agile Coaching Process

Agile Coaching, while flexible and adaptive, is not a makeshift process.

It follows a general structure that provides a framework to guide interventions, whether at the level of the entire company, a specific team or an individual.

This structure is not a rigid step-by-step methodology, but rather a guiding framework that facilitates the application of the coach's knowledge and skills in a contextualized manner.

Understanding this overview helps the coach plan interventions, set clear expectations and navigate the transformation process more effectively.

While the details and duration vary by level of intervention, there are common phases and considerations that structure the agile coaching journey.

The Levels of Intervention (Enterprise, Team, Individual)

Agile Coaching can be applied at three distinct levels, each with its own scope, complexity and typical duration:

Enterprise Coaching: Targeted at the organization as a whole (often more than 125 people).

Focuses on cultural and strategic transformation, alignment with mission and vision, and large-scale implementation of agility.

It usually involves internal change agents and can last from 2 to 4 months per stage.

Team Coaching: Focused on a specific team (up to 16 people).

Seeks to improve the team's agile capabilities, internal processes, collaboration and value delivery. The intervention is more direct and can last from 2 to 12 weeks per stage.

Individual Coaching: Focused on a single person (coachee). Serves to support business or team levels, or for specific personal/professional development in the agile context.

Sessions are shorter and the overall process can last from 1 to 8 weeks. Understanding the level of intervention is crucial to tailor the coaching approach and tools.

The Common Phases: Preparation, Execution, Closure

Regardless of the level of intervention (corporate, team or individual), the Agile Coaching process generally follows three main phases:

Preparation: This initial phase focuses on understanding the context and establishing the foundation for coaching.

It includes identifying the purpose and needs, defining clear and measurable objectives, creating partnerships with leaders or the person involved, training or raising awareness of the process, establishing agreements, and preparing the environment to begin.

Execution: This is the heart of the coaching process, where the active intervention takes place.

It involves facilitating agile techniques and tools, conducting coaching sessions (and mentoring, if applicable), measuring progress and adoption, fostering transparency, providing feedback, removing impediments (or facilitating their removal) and developing competencies.

Closure: This final phase seeks to consolidate achievements and ensure sustainability.

Final results are measured against objectives, findings are made transparent, agreements are facilitated to maintain progress, next steps are defined (improvement, scaling) and the coaching engagement is formally closed, thanking for the collaboration.

Summary

Agile Coaching, while flexible, is not an improvised process. It follows a general structure that provides a framework to guide interventions.

Coaching can be applied at three distinct levels: Enterprise, Team and Individual. Each level has its own scope, complexity and typical duration.

Regardless of the level, the process generally follows three main phases: Preparation (understanding the context), Execution (active intervention) and Closure (consolidating achievements).