Introduction

There are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably when referencing aspects of agile coaching. They include—

  • Competencies

  • Roles (as I explored here)

  • Stances

  • Skills

And these are often contained in a framework of some sort that ties everything together. I want to explore a couple common agile coaching frameworks here. Mostly because I think they’re helpful in describing the nuance of agile coaching and the difference between it and professional coaching.

ACI - Agile Coach Competency Framework

This was originally developed by the Agile Coaching Institute (Lyssa Adkins & Michael Spayd) and was also used when developing the iCAgile coaching and facilitation learning objectives for their coaching certifications.

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Sometimes folks refer to it as the X-Wing model because of its shape.

The overall scope of the agile coach in this competency framework is from the perspective of an Agile & Lean Practitioner. Consider this the experience set in the agile space.

It describes three levels of mastery at the base of the model—Technical Mastery, Business Mastery, and Transformation Mastery. These refer to skills the coach brings to bear given their own unique experience and skills. Think of them as domains.

Then there are two areas of focus. The first is content, which focuses on teaching and mentoring. The other is process, which focuses on professional coaching and facilitation.

In the original whitepaper on the framework, there was a strong emphasis on professional coaching. The coaching stance is what ACI refers to as “the heart” of ACI’s Agile Coach Competency Framework. The coaching stance is supposed to be the place you start from and return to.

Jake Calabrese has a wonderful 2-part article that explores the framework in much more detail. I happen to really like Jakes take on it, so I highly recommend you read it to better understand the framework.

Extending the ACCF

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Jonathan Kessel-Fell wrote a piece that explored extending the competency framework in the Agile & Lean Practitioner area. He broke it down into three core aspects—

  1. Agile & Lean

  2. Mindset & Behaviors

  3. People & Influence

I like this extension into more details under agile and lean. He amplifies the mindset, walking our talk, and establishing relationships / connections in our coaching.

I’d recommend you explore it, it’s quite short, and then do some deeper reflection on what Jonathan is saying and how you might apply it in your coaching.

I also wrote an article exploring what I think are important aspects that are missing from the framework. I couched them as leadership-centric, but they’re more focused on your personal development. You can read more here.

Agile Coaching Growth Wheel

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To be honest, this is my favorite framework or view of coaching aspects within agile coaching at the moment. I believe it’s the most holistic of all of the current models.

What stands out for me is that it—

  • Has an emphasis on the team as well as the organization

  • Focuses on your learning & growth as a coach. The wheel guidance suggests 5-skill levels for each competency.

    • Beginner

    • Practitioner

    • Journeyperson

    • Craftsperson

    • Guide/Innovator

  • Includes a focus on serving and servant leadership

  • Directly includes competencies for Advising (Consulting)

  • And finally, it has an inside-out (knowing yourself) nature.

I also believe the crowdsourced nature of the wheel, by practicing agile coaches, helps it to stand-out as well.

I’ve written about the framework in a bit more detail here.

How much emphasis on the Coaching Stance?

As I mentioned above, the ACI framework made the coaching stance “the heart” of the framework. And I’ve seen that emphasis strengthen across the world of agile coaching. For example, in the current (as of 2020-21 Scrum Alliance CEC/CTC certifications nearly the entire focus is on professional coaching capabilities.

Since this is an ORSC expansion for agile coaching, you’d expect me to concur with the importance of professional coaching / coaching stance as being the preeminent competency for every agile coach. However, I actually don’t see it that way.

I see more BALANCE across all of the stances as being the competency focus for the most skilled agile coaches. And I believe the largely singular focus in our agile contexts on coaching stance is unbalanced and not serving our coaches and their clients very well.

I explore this further in this article.