Our client is a UK based consulting firm seeking an agile coach to support a critical client engagement. This is an initial 12 week contract with the potential to extend for a further 12 months. The objective of the project is to introduce, educate, coach and guide various teams within the client organisation to establish long-lasting agile ways of working.

You'll be part of a larger global consulting team spread across Asia, Europe and North America which will include a scrum master and be overseen by a Partner. Each client team being coached will have 7 or 8 members who are part of the business teams within a large Pharmaceutical company.

Background:

The end client is undergoing a significant transformation to enhance its Drug Development and Commercial operations through the adoption of Agile methodologies. The company has engaged third-party providers for both the development of an Agile methodology and toolkit, as well as the design of a central roll-out and change management programme. These frameworks are being implemented across Client's global teams.

The key challenges being addressed include:

• Organisational Fatigue: Continuous changes have created resistance and fatigue among staff.
• Enterprise Readiness: Client is working on building readiness for full Agile adoption across the organisation.
• Resistance to Change: Teams are transitioning from traditional ways of working to Agile practices.
• Lack of Internal Agile Expertise: Agile coaches will fill this gap by guiding teams through the practical application of the methodologies and toolkits developed externally.

The Agile coaching engagement will focus on the implementation and adoption of these pre-established frameworks, while also providing coaching support to manage the cultural shift and encourage sustained Agile practices.

Objectives:

The primary objectives of this engagement are to:

• Support Agile Adoption: Assist teams in adopting and applying the pre- developed Agile methodology and toolkit effectively across brand teams, ensuring alignment with Client’s organisational goals.
• Coach Cross-Functional Agile Pods: Provide coaching to cross-functional value pods, helping them implement Agile principles in their day-to-day operations and advancing the maturity of Agile processes.
• Provide Change Management Input: Contribute Agile-specific insights to the central change management programme, addressing resistance and ensuring alignment with Agile practices, although not directly responsible for its delivery.
• Develop Internal Agile Champions: Support the development of internal Agile Champions within the Client to ensure the long-term sustainability of Agile practices beyond the coaching engagement.
• Multilingual Coaching: Deliver coaching in multiple languages, including French and Spanish, to enhance collaboration across global teams and ensure consistency.
• Maturity Assessment: Conduct a maturity assessment at the end of the initial 10-week coaching period to evaluate team progress, commitment, and future needs, which will inform subsequent coaching interventions funded directly by the Client.

Type of activities:

• Team Coaching: Guide teams in Agile principles and practices, fostering a collaborative and self-organising culture.
• Facilitation: Lead key Agile ceremonies (e.g., stand-ups, retrospectives), ensuring smooth and effective communication.
• Training: Provide training on Agile methods, tools, and mindsets for teams and stakeholders.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify process inefficiencies and encourage iterative improvements.
• Agile Metrics: Track and interpret Agile metrics to improve team performance.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Align team goals with business objectives and manage stakeholder expectations.
• Impediment Removal: Support teams in identifying and resolving blockers to maintain momentum.
• Promote Team Adoption: Guide and support additional teams in adopting Agile design, building a culture of agility that enhances overall business responsiveness and competitiveness.
• Support Coach Community: Foster a community of practice among in-house coaches, offering continuous development opportunities and resources to enhance their coaching skills.
• Train Agile Champions: Select and empower key individuals with training to become Agile Champions, equipping them to lead and advocate for Agile practices across functions.
• Mentor Agile Champions: Provide ongoing mentorship to Agile Champions, guiding them through challenges and helping them refine their leadership skills in executing brand pilots.
• Train the Trainers: Develop internal trainers to maintain and expand Agile capabilities, ensuring the ongoing growth and sustainability of Agile practices

Detailed Scope of Work

Agile Coaching Support

• Coach Agile Pods: Guide cross- functional pods in applying the Agile methodology and toolkit, focusing on Agile ceremonies (e.g., Sprint Planning, Retrospectives, Daily Stand-ups) and backlog management to ensure best practices and continuous improvement.
• Implement Agile Toolkit: Support the consistent use of the US-developed Agile toolkit, training teams to align tools with Client’s transformation goals.
• Coaching: Deliver coaching to foster clear communication and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Ongoing Support: Provide regular follow-up to ensure consistent application of Agile practices and resolve any challenges.

Train the Trainers Programme

• Develop Agile Champions: Mentor internal Agile Champions to lead Agile practices within their teams, ensuring long-term sustainability after the coaching engagement ends.
• Ongoing Mentorship: Offer continued support to Agile Champions throughout the coaching period, preparing them to independently sustain Agile practices.

Change Management Input (Agile Focus)

• Support the Change Process: Provide Agile-specific input to the broader organisational change programme, highlighting how Agile can support Client’s transformation.
• Overcome Resistance: Help identify and address resistance to Agile practices, ensuring smoother transitions.
• Agile as a Change Enabler: Guide teams in embedding Agile principles to drive cultural change and support organisational transformation.

Tailored Agile Workshops

• Customised Workshops: Conduct workshops to address specific team challenges and align Agile practices with business goals, focusing on customer-centricity, continuous improvement, and iterative development.
• Interactive Learning: Use real-world scenarios to ensure practical application of Agile principles.

Agile Community of Practice

• Community Building: Help establish an Agile Community of Practice within the Client for sharing insights, best practices, and fostering collaboration.
• Sustaining the Community: Provide guidance on maintaining and growing the community beyond the coaching engagement.

Maturity Assessment

• Conduct Maturity Assessment: Assess team progress in Agile adoption at the end of the initial 10-week coaching period, measuring collaboration, delivery effectiveness, and commitment to Agile principles.
• Identify Further Needs: Use the assessment to identify areas requiring additional coaching and guide the next phase of Agile adoption, funded separately by the Client.

Deliverables

• Agile Coaching Sessions: Ongoing coaching for cross-functional Agile pods, focused on the application of the US-developed methodology and toolkit.
• Train the Trainers Programme: A comprehensive programme to develop Agile Champions within the Client.
• Tailored Workshops: Custom workshops addressing specific Agile challenges, user stories, and customer- centricity.
• Agile Community of Practice: Facilitation of an Agile Community of Practice to foster ongoing learning and sharing.
• Change Management Input: Provide Agile-specific input into Client's broader change management strategy.
• Maturity Assessment: A detailed maturity assessment to measure progress, commitment, and further coaching needs at the end of the initial 12-week period.