Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

Contracting for Success, Establishing Clear Agile Coaching Outcomes | Richard

Apr 17, 2025

Richard Brenner, a technology leader and Agile Coach, shares insights on the importance of establishing clear coaching outcomes. He discusses his evolution in defining success beyond team performance to include tangible evidence desired by management. Richard emphasizes the need for dual-sided accountability and collaborative coaching agreements, using metrics that truly matter. Additionally, he promotes the Solution-Focused Retrospective approach, encouraging teams to focus on future improvements rather than past issues, fostering innovation and collaboration.

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ADVICE

Solution-Focused Retrospectives

Use the Solution-Focused Retrospective format.
Focus on the desired future state instead of dwelling on problems.

INSIGHT

Conflict Resolution

Root cause analysis assumes conflicts have a single solvable cause.
Interpersonal conflicts may require a future-focused approach to address feelings.

ANECDOTE

Evolving Definition of Success

Richard Brenner initially defined his success by his team's success.
He later realized that management needed more tangible metrics for coaching impact.

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Richard Brenner: Contracting for Success, Establishing Clear Agile Coaching Outcomes

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Richard reflects on his evolution in defining success as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach. Initially, he believed that if his team was successful, he was successful—but soon realized this perspective was incomplete. Top management wanted tangible evidence of coaching impact, which became problematic without clearly defined metrics. Richard now advocates for establishing a coaching agreement at the beginning of any engagement, with both management and teams defining what success looks like for the coach. He emphasizes the importance of dual-sided accountability as a natural outcome of proper contracting, using metrics that matter to the organization such as flow metrics and outcome metrics to demonstrate coaching value.

Self-reflection Question: How are you measuring your own success as a coach or Scrum Master, and have you created explicit agreements with both teams and management about what success looks like?

Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Solution Focused Retrospective

Richard recommends the Solution Focused Retrospective from the book "Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams." While traditional retrospective formats from books like "Agile Retrospectives" typically open a topic and dig deeply into the problem space, the solution-focused approach suggests spending only a short time discussing problems before pivoting to designing the desired future state. This format focuses on identifying the next step and emphasizing what positive outcomes the team wants to achieve, rather than dwelling on what's wrong. Richard values this approach for its ability to maintain a positive, forward-thinking mindset within teams.

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About Richard

Richard is a versatile technology leader with experience as a Software Engineer, Product Owner, and Agile Coach. Passionate about building software that excites, he thrives at the intersection of technology, change, and leadership. Lately, he's focused on Collaborative Modeling, bridging disciplines to drive innovation and create meaningful impact.

You can link with Richard Brenner on LinkedIn.