leonard_gaya's review

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3.0

This is a very nice book on group coaching and team building. In my opinion, it is not so much about Scrum or XP methodology: the reader is supposed to already be familiar with the agile approach (applied to software development or otherwise). The coach is described in his/her many faceted role: mentor, facilitator, teacher, problem solver, conflict navigator, collaboration conductor... However, the key takeaway, for me, is that an agile coach and a leader is someone who allows the teams to unfold these qualities for themselves. Thus, the leader makes the team, like the sea makes the land, by gently drawing back.

I loved the reference to the Shanghai Quartet, by the way!

sophia_aumueller's review

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

lddecker's review

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informative slow-paced

3.0

dayirisbarrios's review

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5.0

Excellent book! I really enjoyed each chapter and the practical recommendations from the author. It is a great book for those interested in agile coaching. i have many notes that I can reference later when confront with a situation as the ones listed in the book.

alinemricci's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.75

afuerstenau's review

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5.0

Awesome book. So much information for (advanced) coaches.

I will often reread a special part of the book depending on the team I currently work with.

wesbaker's review

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3.0

This book was worth reading, but I'm not sure the whole thing was worth reading. At times, it seemed that the author had a quota to fill and at other times that she truly cared about a subject and just let the ideas flow. It's this strange mix of loquaciousness and clarity that makes this book both hard to finish and hard to recommend. If you have the time and truly care about the subject, it's worth a read. If you're just starting, it might be worth holding off for a while.

carina_silfverduk's review

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5.0

A must read for scrum masters and agile coaches.

thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

This book was giving to me by someone who no longer needed it, and as such, I didn't have the right expectations going in. I thought "coaching agile teams" referred generally to the act of working with a mentoring agile teams, which it does. But what wasn't clear to me from the outset was that Adkins considers an "agile coach" to be a specific organizational role, separate from a scrum master or a product owner.

Regardless, the tips in this book are applicable to anyone who works with agile teams, and it's easy enough to skim through the agile coaching sections that may or may not apply to you. I will definitely be referring back to this useful manual, as Adkins provides actionable advice and suggestions for working through conflict, facilitating meetings, creating a collaborative team environment, and more.