By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan argues that many Agile trainers and coaches who work with software teams lack the experience needed for commercial product companies, and that the poor work he has repeatedly cleaned up after is a persistent problem rather than a passing one. Because most buyers, such as CTOs and VP Product leaders, may not know how to vet Agile trainers, he offers a checklist of competencies to look for. The core message is that most software is still IT or custom work, so trainers who learned there often misapply their methods to product teams. He stresses that the individual coach matters more than the firm, and that a good coach works alongside the team to apply techniques in its own environment rather than simply lecturing and leaving.
01Key takeaways
- Vet Agile trainers for experience specifically with commercial product companies, not just IT or custom software delivery.
- Confirm the trainer understands the distinct roles of product manager, product marketing and UX designers and how they work with delivery teams.
- Look for direct experience with product discovery, not only delivery, since most ideas should be validated before code is written.
- Expect the trainer to explain how honest commitments are made and managed without pretending roadmaps are reliable.
- Ensure the trainer respects experienced engineers and treats the team as serving customers, not as an internal service function.
- Evaluate the specific person assigned to you, and prefer a coach who works alongside the team over one who only delivers theory.
02Key sections
- Why the problem persists
- Cagan explains that he expected poor Agile training to fade as the community gained product experience, but it has not, so buyers must be deliberate in their selection.
- Distinguishing IT, custom and product software
- A trainer must understand that commercial product development differs fundamentally from internal IT or custom development, or they will treat the product company as a learning ground.
- Product roles and discovery versus delivery
- The trainer should grasp the roles of product managers, product marketing and UX designers, and have direct experience with both product discovery and delivery.
- Commitments, speed and continuous learning
- Trainers need to understand how product teams make honest commitments, why sprint-level experiments can be too slow, and how live-data prototypes, analytics and A/B tests drive learning.
- Culture, mission and the limits of process
- Trainers must respect experienced engineers, recognize that product teams serve customers rather than the business as a service function, and avoid dogmatic process that confuses means with ends.
- Assessing the individual coach
- Cagan advises judging the actual person assigned rather than the consultancy, and distinguishing a trainer who teaches theory from a coach who applies it with the team.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.