If you have not gathered, I am passionately invested in a code of ethics for Agile Coaches. A CoE is important for a wide range of reasons, but most importantly it is important for delivering value to the people and firms delivering coaching or being coached. I am convinced that without a code of ethics agile coaches will be like Peter Pan and the children that never grew up. While that might be a bit of hyperbole, ethics are highly related to professionalism. As part of my goal of pushing for a code of ethics, I got involved with the Agile Alliance’s Agile Coaching Ethics Initiative. The initiative is being chaired by Shane Hastie and Craig Smith who are also acting as product owners. Currently, there are 20 – 30 people involved from across the globe. The people involved are amazing; I actually look forward to group working sessions (we are mobbing) and pair Zoom calls. Who really looks forward to meetings? I am a better guide, coach, and person from working with this diverse group of amazing people.
A few days ago the first release of the Agile Coaching Code of Ethics was published. The architecture of the material the team is producing has three levels. They are:
- Ethics Categories showing the high level areas to be covered,
- Ethics Statements that break the categories into actionable concepts that can be applied regardless of the agile coaching role you are playing, and
- Stories to provide context and interpretation guidance for each statement.
Release 1 includes categories and statements. We are writing and editing the stories.
The goal of release 1.0 is to generate feedback. Shane described this release as “good enough, for now, and safe enough to try.” Dig in and read the PDF of the Agile Coaching Code of Ethics (attached) and send feedback to AgileCoachingEthics@agilealliance.org.
