Written by: Csaba Oláh, PSM and Réka Pétercsák, PSPO, PSM, ACC, Certified SAFe 5 Program Consultant
Solution-focused coaching in agility
Agility is not just a to-do list item to be ticked off (as many still think, unfortunately), but a way of thinking, a journey to transform our mindset and help ourselves and our working environment evolve with new approaches. This change of mindset is greatly facilitated by a solution-focused approach, which, as the name suggests, focuses on solutions, on existing resources rather than problems. But what makes solution-focused tools work well in an agile environment?
Agility
Agility, now almost a buzzword, especially in IT, is an approach that works well. It is difficult to pin down exactly what it means, its literal meaning being "our ability to respond to change" and its organisational meaning being the ability to respond to change in a fast-moving market environment. Its foundations were laid down by 17 eminent experts in 2001 and consolidated in a 12-point manifesto.
"We are exploring more effective ways to develop software through our own work and by helping others. As a result of this work, we have learned to appreciate:
- Individuals and personal communication methodologies and tools
- The working software as opposed to comprehensive documentation
- Cooperation with the customer as opposed to contract negotiation
- The willingness to change as opposed to slavishly following plans"
The value pairs in the manifesto are intended to emphasise that both sides are important, but in decision-making situations we want to give more weight to the left, because it helps us work together better.
The principles that make up the Agile Manifesto
- Our priority is to achieve customer satisfaction by delivering working software as quickly and continuously as possible.
- We accept that requirements may change even towards the end of development. Agile processes turn change into a competitive advantage for the client.
- Deliver working software frequently, i.e. every few weeks or every month, preferably opting for more frequent deliveries.
- Business experts and software developers work together every day, for the entire duration of the project.
- Build the project on success-oriented individuals. Provide them with the necessary environment and support, and trust them to get the job done.
- The most effective and efficient way to transfer information within the development team is through face-to-face discussion.
- Working software is the primary measure of progress.
- Agile processes promote sustainable development. It is important that sponsors, developers and users are able to keep a steady pace.
- Technical excellence and a constant focus on a good plan will increase agility.
- Simplicity is essential, the art of maximising the amount of work left to be done.
- The best architectures, requirements and system designs come from self-organising teams.
- The team regularly considers how to increase efficiency and adjusts and fine-tunes its operations accordingly.
Although the Agile Manifesto was born in the software development environment, it is now used in a wide range of fields, from fashion design to aerospace and pharmaceutical processes. These 12 points are agility itself, wherever we feel stuck in our work, the content of these points will guide us through the maze of development processes.
Solution focus
Agile coaching with a solution-focused approach is based on a psychotherapeutic method developed by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer. It has also been called brief therapy, in which brevity refers to the client's ability to move forward as quickly as possible on his or her own. Its basic principles are:
- If something works, make more of it!
- If something is not working, stop and do something else!
- If it's not broken, don't fix it!
One of its most useful tools is the Dialogical Orientation Model, which, as complicated as it sounds, is just as simple.
This is a map to help you analyse your conversations and make them more effective. The idea is that we can look at the content of our coaching conversations on the "good and not so good" (vertical) axis, or notice that we tend to think and talk more about the past, present and future (horizontal axis). In solution-focused conversations, we focus on talking about the desired future when working with the client, but we also take detours into the resource-filled past and present. Thus, we can say that our task as coaches using the model is to orient the dialogue with the client towards the quarter that is most useful to them at the moment, at the current point in the conversation.
How can we use solution-focused conversations in an agile environment?
The synergy between solution-focused coaching and agility is characterised by:
- With an agile approach, we treat each case differently and develop the process according to what the customer says.
So, just as in solution-focused coaching, we "steer" the conversation in the direction that is most helpful to the client. Agility does not guarantee a better outcome, we accept that in some cases other approaches may be better in a particular organisational context. Neither agility nor solution-focused conversational leadership is rigidly rule-following, dogmatism is not agile, and it does not benefit the client.
- Solution-focused counselling is based on a respectful, non-accusatory and cooperative approach.
I respect the client's ideas, accept him in his full humanity and cooperate with him on his development path. Agility is no different: we genuinely believe that each team member has done the best job for the knowledge, skills and resources they have at the time. Respect is a pillar of Scrum, and a core value of any high performing team.
- Change is continuous, identify positive changes and make them more audible.
This is one of the pillars of the solution-focused approach: we focus on discovering positive changes and building on them in the course of working with clients. The Agile core values are similar: build on and keep what works well, but don't be afraid to change your working methods, tools and behaviours if they are no longer useful to you. In other words: prioritise the pursuit of change over the slavish pursuit of plans.
- Tangible, visible, tangible progress at the centre.
At the heart of agile and solution-focused work, success is about measurable results. Working in both approaches, we strive to ensure that the focus of development and improvement is on tangible change. By asking, "When do we consider this done?" "What are the visible changes, even noticeable to others, that you know you have made one step forward?" we support this change in perspective.
The toolbox of solution-focused consultancy is also an excellent tool for working in an agile approach. Think of the 'miracle question', identifying the elements of the preferred future that are already in place, resource-focused questions that prompt us to think about what we already have to achieve the desired outcome, or 'scaling' questions that help us define the tiny steps that, if taken, will take us a step closer to change.
We sincerely encourage all professionals to use solution-focused coaching tools in agility, as useful interactions can be discovered in both approach and tools, either along the lines mentioned above or along their own developed lines. The solution-focused approach invites us to talk about the desired future instead of the problematic past, and to look to the future for solutions that can bring about huge changes in the life of an agile team.
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