Roadmap to Become An Agile Coach
As Agile has raged in popularity, more and more people are interested in learning how to become an agile coach. In fact, “Agile coach” was named as one of the best jobs in 2020. Meanwhile, the demand for passionate, experienced agile coaches is at an all-time high.
If you’re passionate about Agile, enjoy working with teams, and are interested in making a career change, here are some tips to help you get started.
How to Become an Agile Coach
So you want to become an agile coach? Like with other careers, the path to becoming an Agile coach is not clearly defined because Agile coaching is relatively new. It has evolved alongside the rise of Agile in recent decades and will continue to evolve as Agile continues to expand. Those who are interested in learning how to become an Agile coach today have the benefit of formal training programs and agile coach certification.
But simply undergoing a training program or getting a certification does not surely mean you are ready to become an Agile coach. Here are some requirements for becoming an Agile coach.
Start by Learning Scrum
Although there are plenty of coaches that specialize in Agile methodologies, it’s a good bet that most Agile coaches got their start with the Scrum framework. Why?
Starting with Scrum will give you a firm foundation in understanding the basics of an Agile mindset and the Agile manifesto, as well as Agile principles and values.
If you want to become an Agile coach, you should first gain some experience working as part of a Scrum or Agile team. Ideally, you’ll want to gain experience in each of the three main Scrum roles:
· Scrum Master
· Product Owner
· Development Team Member
Scrum Master Certification
Training and certification will boost your credibility and ultimately, set you up for success as an Agile coach. Like learning the Scrum framework will give you a basic understanding of Agile, getting certified as a Scrum Master helps you learn how to be a leader of Agile teams. You can pursue Scrum Master Certification from a reputed agile business consultancy like Xstreamagile.
Keep Learning about Agile
If you’re looking at how to become an Agile coach, it’s important that you already do a fair amount of Agile learning. Keep this up!
Apart from Scrum, a good Agile coach also needs to learn about the Kanban framework. Even though you see yourself working primarily with individual teams, achieving a level of proficiency in scaled Agile frameworks and coaching business units beyond IT will help you boost your qualifications as an Agile coach.
Take Up Other Training Courses and Certifications
Other than your Scrum certification, consider adding a few other relevant certifications to your resume as you work to become an Agile coach. Here are some training courses and certifications to consider:
· Lean & Kanban
· PMI-ACP
· Agile Coaching Institute (now part of Accenture)
· IC Agile
· International Coaching Federation
· Leading SAFe®
· SAFe® Agilist
Some Additional Tips for Success as an Agile Coach
Once you have the experience and certifications you need to launch your career as an Agile coach, there are few things you will want to keep in mind.
· Think Beyond the Team Level — As an Agile coach, it’s important to be able to affect change not just within individual teams, but within the context of the entire organization.
· Don’t Strive to Be Indispensable — A common piece of career advice for most professionals is to aim to be indispensable — in other words, be so good, they can’t function without you.
Don’t delay your decision to become an Agile Coach and reach out to Xstreamagile, a well-known agile consulting, to get the required training and certification. Give a flying start to your career now!
