What Is an Agile Coach? And How to Become One

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

An Agile coach helps scale Agile project management processes across multiple teams or throughout an entire organization. Explore how you can get started on this career path.

[Featured Image] An Agile coach stands at a podium, leading a training session.

An Agile coach is a project management professional who helps scale Agile practices across a team or organization. By aligning teams or organizations with Agile values and concepts, Agile coaches enable them to be more flexible, transparent, and efficient. Agile coaches do this by introducing Agile methods and encouraging a culture and mentality shift in the workplace. Learn more about what Agile coaches do and the steps you can take to become one.

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What does an Agile coach do?

An Agile coach helps teams and organizations adopt Agile practices. Take a look at the day-to-day tasks an Agile coach might find themselves doing:

  • Plan and design the adoption of Agile across multiple teams.

  • Provide training sessions on Agile frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe.

  • Foster a culture of openness and psychological safety.

  • Coach leaders (such as Scrum Masters, product owners, and executives) on Agile leadership practices.

  • Develop an operating model or roadmap for future Agile practices.

  • Lead as a role model for Agile values.

Agile coaching salary: How much Agile coaches make

In the US, an Agile coach makes an average annual base salary of $138,063. Reported salaries begin at roughly $116,000 and go up to $165,000 [1].

Compare this with the average annual US base salaries of similar roles:

  • Scrum Master: $114,827 [2]

  • Senior Scrum Master: $140,894 [3]

  • Senior Agile coach: $158,520 [4]

  • Enterprise Agile coach: $160,520 [5]

  • Agile project manager: $117,653 [6]

  • Project manager: $90,386 [7]

How to become an Agile coach

1. Build Agile coach skills.

Agile coaches often request a few key skills. These include:

  • Agile and Agile frameworks: An in-depth understanding of Agile and its various frameworks will be critical in being an effective Agile coach. Common frameworks include Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe; knowledge of XP and Lean is also occasionally requested. Know what distinguishes one, the values that drive each approach, and how to apply them in a real setting.

  • Communication: As an Agile coach, you’ll train other leaders and encourage entire teams or organizations to change their thinking and entrenched work habits. Knowing how to communicate effectively as a coach doesn’t stop at being able to express yourself well—it means knowing how to persuade, negotiate, inspire, and resolve conflict.

  • Project management tools: You’ll need to know how to use project management tools and software enough to explain to others how to use them. These might include tools used broadly in project management, like RACI charts, burndown charts, and Gantt charts. You might use tools specific to Agile frameworks, like Kanban boards, wikis, or bug trackers.

You’ll also find several books, podcasts, and online resources to help you learn Agile and Agile scaling.

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Read more: 12 Key Project Management Skills

2. Gain Agile project management experience.

Job descriptions often ask for experience in diverse Agile environments, and employers prefer those with coaching experience. Building up your resume on these fronts will put you in a good position to compete for Agile coaching jobs. You can do this in a few different ways:

  • Work as a Scrum Master: Many job descriptions count experience as a Scrum Master as coaching experience. Because Scrum is the most commonly used Agile framework—63 percent of Agile adopters use Scrum or a Scrum-based hybrid according to a 2023 survey [8]—your work as an Agile coach will likely require some knowledge of Scrum methodology. Being a Scrum Master can act as an avenue to Agile coaching. If you need more clarity around how to get there, discover what it takes to become a Scrum Master.

  • Work on an Agile team: As an Agile coach, you’ll want to be as familiar with how Agile works on different teams. Familiarity with Scrum will be crucial, but knowledge of other methodologies will also be useful. Try gaining exposure to Kanban, XP, and Lean methodologies, and participate in scaling Scrum or Agile practices if possible.

3. Get an Agile coach certification.

Agile coach certifications can help you become more competitive in the job market and signal to employers that you have a baseline of knowledge expected of professionals. Studying for and getting the certification can also help you learn about Agile coaching and gain new skills. 

The following certifications are commonly requested in job descriptions:

 

  • SAFe Practitioner (SP)

  • SAFe Practitioner Consultant (SPC)

  • SAFe Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT)

  • PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

  • ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Coaching Certification (ICP-ACC)

  • ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Coaching Certification (ICE-AC)

You can also consider getting a Scrum Master certification. Many Agile positions require you to have experience as a Scrum Master or with scaling Scrum.

  • Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

  • Professional Scrum Master (PSM)

  • Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)

  • Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)

  • Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC)

  • Scrum@Scale

You can read through a few job descriptions to see which certifications are in demand for the type of job you want.

Is Agile coach certification worth it?

An Agile coach certification can be a valuable credential when you are looking to start a career or build on your Agile expertise. With many companies integrating Agile into their practices, you’ll be able to demonstrate in-demand knowledge and coaching skills. Additionally, you can gain leadership practice, and many certification programs offer access to a networking community where you can share ideas and find even more educational opportunities.

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Getting started as an Agile coach

By building key project management skills and earning the proper credentials, you can start a rewarding career as an Agile coach. If you’d like to learn more about Agile and project management, consider taking courses on Coursera, like Google’s course on Agile Project Management or Atlassian University’s Agile with Atlassian Jira course. Or take a look at the Agile Leadership Specialization from the University of Colorado.

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Microsoft Azure, Network Protocols, Cloud Computing, Software configuration, Troubleshooting, Configure Security Groups, Microsoft Entra ID, Manage Virtual Networks, Network Connectivity, System Maintenance, Diagnostics, Microsoft 365, Digital Platform Security, Endpoint Security, Integrating Automation Tools, Troubleshoot virtual networks, Configure load balancers, Configure virtual machines, Secure Azure Storage, Create Azure Storage accounts, Resource Management, Troubleshooting (Problem Solving), Azure Monitor, Advanced Monitoring Techniques, Configure Basic Monitoring, Cloud Computing Security, Network Monitoring, Network Security, Security Mitigation, Computer Network Infrastructure, Data Back-up and Recovery, IT Security, Hardware configuration, Data Management, Software Set-up, Computer Architecture, Cybersecurity, Computer hardware, Computer Software, Operating Systems, Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Networking, Azure Security, Azure Compute, Microsoft Sentinel, Azure Resource Manager, Azure Services, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Password Management, Privacy settings, Multi-Factor Authentication, Azure Site Recovery, Configure Automatic Updates, Implement Backup Strategies, Azure Cloud, Implement Compliance Policies

Article sources

1

Glassdoor. “How much does an Agile Coach make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/agile-coach-salary-SRCH_KO0,11.htm.” Accessed February 4, 2025.

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