Hi Agile Community! Agile Coach here...

[Charlene Freeman]

Hi Agile Community - Agile Coach here and also active Scrum Master. I wonder how many orgs still employ and engage Agile Coaches? Some say that Coaches are being downsized or phased out, but I see it as an opportunity to help others grow and learn. I hold a monthly AMA (Ask Me Anything) session at my company that is open to anyone. I have used it for training opportunities (especially with ROVO and JIRA) anyone else doing anything similar? I am always open to learning from other's expertise. 

Thank you and Stay Agile 

[Van Rees_ David]

Hi Charlene,  I work a large financial institution and while we still have some agile coaches, and I have some enterprise agile coaches working directly for me, overall the number of coaches are reducing.  I'd say for us the focus is more around general high-performance and efficient delivery, supported by AI.  Methodology is part of this, but we now expect leaders and delivery offices to understand the different methodologies. 

I'd say agile coaches still have a role to play, but they need to be used strategically to build capability with the leaders and delivery offices vs just spending time coaching teams/practitioners directly. I'd also say the skills need to be broader, taking into account AI, tooling, compliance, leader psychology, scaling, technology, data analysis, change management and not just be there to say 'here's how to add scrum or SAFe into your delivery process'.

[Charlene Freeman]

Agreed! Coaches need to provide Value in everything they do, not just ask for a status or make recommendations. Great points!