Scrum Master to Agile Coach: Activities & Tasks Checklist

Transitioning from a Scrum Master to an Agile Coach involves expanding your focus from a single team to the wider organization. This checklist outlines the key skills, activities, and growth areas to master.

Master Agile Fundamentals

• Study and summarize key concepts from the Agile Manifesto and its principles.
• Conduct training sessions on Agile values, principles, and mindset for your team.
• Compare Scrum with Kanban, XP, and SAFe; identify scenarios for applying each.
• Practice demonstrating Scrum values through daily actions and record insights.
• Attend a workshop or course on scaling frameworks (Nexus, Scrum@Scale, LeSS, SAFe).

Advanced Facilitation Skills

• Facilitate at least two large-scale Agile workshops (e.g., multi-team retrospectives, planning).
• Use Liberating Structures in at least three Scrum events and document outcomes.
• Manage and resolve three challenging team conflicts or disagreements proactively.
• Lead a cross-team retrospective; document lessons learned and improvements.
• Design and facilitate a custom Agile workshop tailored to your organization's specific needs.

Coaching and Mentoring Abilities

• Complete an accredited Agile coaching course or certification (e.g., PSM II, ICP-ACC).
• Conduct five structured coaching conversations using powerful questioning techniques.
• Mentor at least two new Scrum Masters, documenting their growth journey.
• Establish regular 1-on-1 coaching sessions with team members; track progress.
• Write your personal Agile coaching philosophy and refine based on feedback.

Organizational Change & Leadership

• Summarize key change management frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter's 8-Step).
• Actively participate in at least one organizational Agile transformation initiative.
• Host a session explaining Agile benefits to senior management; record feedback.
• Develop a communication plan highlighting Agile success stories for stakeholders.
• Write a detailed case study of successful Agile adoption within your organization.

Team & System Coaching

• Conduct a workshop to coach teams on becoming self-managing and cross-functional.
• Perform quarterly team health checks and document trends and improvement areas.
• Conduct a targeted coaching session for your Product Owner on backlog refinement and prioritization.
• Facilitate a vision-alignment workshop involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Lead an exercise promoting psychological safety and open experimentation.

Agile Mindset and Culture

• Keep a daily journal of how you embody Agile principles personally and professionally.
• Identify and document at least three organizational anti-patterns; propose solutions.
• Facilitate a session focused on fostering psychological safety and learning culture.
• Create and lead internal sessions or webinars on Agile culture and mindset.
• Set up and nurture an Agile Community of Practice (CoP) within your organization.

Agile Tools and Techniques

• Define and track at least three advanced Agile metrics (e.g. Cycle time, Lead time, Flow metrics).
• Master at least one Agile project management tool (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps); teach others.
• Create and deliver meaningful project reports to stakeholders using Agile dashboards.
• Guide teams in choosing the appropriate Agile tools for their needs; document effectiveness.
• Conduct training on advanced backlog management techniques at scale.

Communication & Training

• Develop and deliver two interactive Agile training sessions to different audiences.
• Create and practice a storytelling approach for communicating Agile concepts effectively.
• Publish at least two articles or blog posts sharing Agile insights and experiences.
• Practice clear, empathetic communication by giving feedback regularly and document outcomes.
• Create tailored Agile training resources (e.g., handbooks, presentations) for your organization.

Personal Growth and Continuous Learning

• Attend at least one major Agile conference or regular Agile community meetups.
• Read and summarize insights from five influential Agile coaching books.
• Request structured feedback from team members regarding your coaching style and effectiveness.
• Maintain a personal development plan outlining clear coaching improvement goals.
• Regularly document coaching experiences, reflections, and lessons learned.

Ethics and Professionalism

• Study and summarize professional coaching ethics and guidelines (e.g., ICF Coaching Code of Ethics).
• Record situations where you exemplified integrity and transparency as a Scrum Master.
• Facilitate a session on sustainable pace and work-life balance within your team.
• Lead a workshop focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Agile teams.
• Create a formal coaching agreement outlining clear boundaries and expectations.