Team Practices Group/Agile Coaching Lifecycle
The Team Practices Group (TPG) was dissolved in 2017.
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The Agile Coaching Lifecycle is a model documented by Pragmateam. TPG discussed using it as a framework to help understand how our Agile coaching activities can be structured and planned.
Coaching Lifecycle Decisions:
- TPG Experiments with using this diagram as a reference in discussions
- Try to process new requests (from teams asking for TPG help) using the model. Figure out exactly what it means to "use the model" as part of this trial.
- Pilot model as part of onboarding new hire. E.g., describe the model to the new hire and describe their initial work assignments within the context of the model.
Benefits of using this Lifecycle Model
- Clarity of expectations
- Could clarify roles for job description and hiring
- Might distinguish coaching from scrum masteringRetention
- Clarifies to the rest of the org what we do
- Clearer expectations for TPG and possibly customers
- Scale/serve more teams
- Allows TPG to scale
- Lets us spread to more teams
- Enables TPG to serve non-eng/tech teams
- Reduces lock-in so TPGers can switch teams
- Improves planning
- Gives advance notice for budgeting (predictability)
- For TPG & teams
- Gives advance notice for budgeting (predictability)
- Clarity of how we measure what we do/managing delivery
- Defined phases give us metrics and measurability
- Lets us compare different engagements
- Helps us build a rubric of competencies of customers
- Consistency of TPG services could be improved
- Shared vocabulary across the org
- Standardization of 4 stages (content & engagement)
Risks of using this Lifecycle model
- Relations w/customers and potential customers
- Existing engagements: change would be resisted
- Would expose historic inequality of TPG support
- Requires org-wide agreement on funding scrum masters
- Roles
- Where do Scrum Masters fit in?
- Predictability & time constraint
- “Support” could last forever
- All transitions are likely to be late or resisted
- Seems really difficult to project timelines (and thus TPG people planning) in advance, due both to previous factor and to team variability
- Scope/diff of each stage unclear
- Unclear how to fit one model of coaching into multiple roles
- Assessment
- Introduces complexity to balancing work
- Cost of evaluating consistency among TPGers
- Who determines maturity of team?
- Getting standardized
- Effort needed to develop standardization
- Need to standardize to a degree not currently supported by consensus (TPG & WMF)
- In the short term, term introduces more work to TPG
- Other
- Might be vulnerable to org or budget chaos
- Fear of locking into process too tightly