Managing multiple agile coaches at a single client presents unique challenges. As the author notes, "Leading a group of Agile Coaches is like herding cats… cat's with a lot of expertise, knowledge, and even a bit of ego."
Multiple Agile Coaches – 5 Tips
Ego Aside Prioritize client service and delivery over individual preferences. The foundation should be servant leadership, where the team's ultimate success supersedes personal approaches or methodologies.
Coach Alignment on Engagement Establish unified coaching strategies before engaging with clients. Schedule collaborative sessions to align on common themes, ceremonies, and artifacts. This prevents conflicting guidance around estimation, planning, and other practices.
Coordination of Roles/Duties/Expertise Leverage each coach's strengths rather than expecting uniform skill distribution. Assign responsibilities based on individual expertise—whether that's ATDD, DevOps, executive coaching, or scaling agile initiatives.
Collaborate Use shared communication platforms and tools to maintain visibility and coordination, especially when coaches work remotely. Consider daily standups to discuss how team members can support one another.
Leverage and Learn from Each Other Treat the coaching partnership as a professional development opportunity. The author emphasizes that working alongside skilled coaches is uncommon; maximize this by sharing knowledge and improving collectively.