Dilemma of an Agile Coach

As an Agile Coach, we often interact with our customer predominantly in two modes – as paternalistically or as an information provider. While working in paternalistically mode we treat customers as kids who need to be told what is good for them and what to do to achieve success. Consider a scenario where you are trying to convince your customer to embrace Agile and explaining the benefits they will get from it.

On the other hand, when we are acting as an information provider, we just hand out the information to the customer (yes, sometimes we overwhelm customers with information) and ask them to make a decision about something about which they have little or almost none understanding. Explain the difference between Scrum and Kanban to the CTO without encouraging him to experiment with a small set of teams. Now CTO has commended – All development teams will follow Scrum while Support Teams will move to Kanban.

In both of these cases either we as an Agile coach playing the role of Know All or of a consultant - I gave you information, you decide. Both of these approaches may lead to not so optimum results.

There is also a third approach, which I learned from Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande. Dr. Atul talks about patients which are terminally ill. There are few medicines and procedures are available which may extend the life of the patient but it has consequences in terms of financials, longevity gained, and quality of life.  In these situations instead to being paternalistic or being a consultant, he has to lay bare all the facts and consequences of each decision patient and family can make. Though the final decision to be made by patient and family, he plays a dual role of facilitator and information provider. Sometimes patient and family make a decision of not administering the medicine or accepting the medical procedure which is very much against his Hippocratic Oath – save lives at any cost. Though as an Agile Coach, I hope none of us has to be in midst of such a difficult situation but we may have to suggest Agile is not the desired approach in some cases. I admit in this approach, I as an Agile coach has pay dual role of facilitator and information provider while agreeing with a decision which goes against my very belief – Agile is for all in all situations.

What do you think?