Agile Coaches and Champions: Two Hidden Facilitators of Agile Transition

Abstract

Prevalence of Agile methods in software companies is increasing dramatically. Software companies and teams need to employ these methods to overcome the inherent challenges of traditional methods in software development. However, transitioning to Agile approach is a topic of debate. This is mainly because software companies are facing with many challenges, obstacles, and hindrances when leaving traditional methods and moving to Agile methods, as shown in previous research studies. Conducting a large-scale research study showed that Agile transformation need to be supported by several facilitators and identified its most important facilitators. The main aim of this chapter is to present two hidden facilitators of Agile transition, Agile coaches and Agile champions, which rarely have been taken into consideration. Both of these facilitators directly impress the people involved in the transition. People-intensive nature of Agile methods and critical role of the people in the transition process reflect the importance of these facilitators when a software company doing its transition.