Agile Coach vs Scrum Master: What Are The Differences?

Introduction to Agile Coach vs Scrum Master 

The Information Technology Industry since its inception understood the essence of agility as the user requirement continuously evolved due to the rapid advancement in technology and the associated ecosystem. This got further impetus with the digital transformation wave that touched almost all sectors along with an overwhelming need to transition to new ways of working.. 

The flag bearers of this change were agilists who helped teams and organizations in understanding the why, what and how of various approaches and practices that could build the fabric of continuous planning, execution and delivery mindset.

In the journey to build cutting-edge solutions and platforms, teams adopt the Scrum approach to incrementally add capabilities. To empower the teams and foster a culture of agility, the Scrum Master role which is dedicated to educating, onboarding and elevating teams in Scrum principles is instrumental. In areas where adaptability is crucial due to rapidly changing demands, we implement Kanban, supported by Kanban Masters who facilitate seamless workflow. As the agile transformation evolves, the Agile Coach role emerges, which is focused on scaling agility across teams and driving holistic growth. In this blog, we’ll explore these roles in depth, uncovering the transformative impact on our teams and organization.

At most of the places, Scrum Master and Agile Coach are used as interchangeable terms today, possibly due to lack of knowledge and awareness. We will try to understand both Agile Coach vs Scrum Master roles in context with their emergence, their existence, difference between agile coach and scrum master and their future in this blog and delve into their respective roles.

The Emergence of the Agile Coach and Scrum Master role

• Scrum Master role emerged in the early 2000s, with the Agile Manifesto (2001) and Scrum framework (1995). This role was primarily focused on software development, with an emphasis on team facilitation and process adherence
• Agile Coach role emerged later, around 2008-2010, this role focused on organizational transformation and Agile adoption

The Evolution of Agile Coach and Scrum Master role

• Both roles have expanded beyond software development to various industries and domains. They got popular with increased demand & growing recognition of Agile and Scrum values in driving business agility and innovation
• Scrum Master and Agile Coach roles often overlap or combine, with varying emphasis on coaching, facilitation and leadership

The Future of Agile Coach vs Scrum Master Role

 

 

Based on continued growth in agile adoption and digital transformation, the demand for skilled Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches will grow but with shifting focus.

• From process-centric to people-centric approaches
• Emphasis on business agility, innovation, and organizational culture
• Integration with other frameworks and practices (e.g., Lean, Kanban, Design Thinking)
• Agile Coaching as a distinct profession should address increased focus on leadership coaching and organizational development
• Growing importance of awareness towards technical skills for Scrum Masters (e.g., DevOps, automation)
• To consolidate, following are the key skills for future success:
  • Coaching and facilitation
  • Business acumen and strategic thinking
  • Technical skills (for Scrum Masters)
  • Organizational development and change management
  • Emotional intelligence and empathy
  • Continuous learning and adaptation

Scrum Master vs Agile Coach: Key Differences

The difference between agile coach and scrum master as marked in the below table are not absolute and may vary depending on the organization, context, or individual roles. However, this table highlights the general difference between Agile Coach and Scrum Master roles.

Characteristics	Scrum Master	Agile Coach
Focus	Team-level Scrum framework Implementation	Organizational-level Agile adoption
Primary Goal	Facilitate Scrum team Ensure process adherence	Drive Agile transformation Get Business Agility
Scope	Single team or project	Multiple teams, departments or organization-wide
Responsibilities	1. Facilitate Scrum events (e.g., Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) 2. Remove impediments (obstacles that hinder the team’s progress) 3. Coach team members (on Scrum principles, practices, and values)	1. Organizational design (helping the organization adapt its structure and processes to support Agile) 2. Leadership coaching (coaching leaders and managers to adopt Agile mindset and practices) 3. (Implicitly) Driving Agile transformation and business agility (though not explicitly listed, this is a key aspect of an Agile Coach’s role)
Skill Sets	1. Scrum framework expertise (in-depth knowledge of Scrum principles, practices and values) 2. Facilitation (ability to facilitate Scrum events, meetings and discussions) 3. Coaching (ability to coach team members on Scrum principles, practices and values)	1. Organizational development (knowledge of organizational design, culture and change management) 2. Change management (ability to manage and support organizational change) 3. (Implicitly) Agile framework expertise (though not explicitly listed, Agile Coaches typically have in-depth knowledge of Agile principles, practices and values) 4. Coaching (ability to coach leaders, teams, and individuals on Agile mindset and practices) 5. Facilitation (ability to facilitate workshops, meetings and discussions)
Mindset	Servant-leadership Team-focused	Transformational, Organization-focused
Career Path	Often a stepping stone to Agile Coach or leadership roles	Typically a senior role, may lead to organizational leadership

Agile Coach vs Scrum Master Comparison in detail 

Before we start with comparison, let’s take a step back and understand the agile methodology. The Agile methodology is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and rapid delivery. It was created as a response to traditional waterfall methods, which were often rigid and slow to adapt to change. It could be translated to following key benefits that businesses are looking for:

1. Faster time-to-market
2. Improved collaboration and communication
3. Greater flexibility and adaptability
4. Higher quality software
5. Increased customer satisfaction
6. Reduced risk and uncertainty

To provide clearer direction for software development, the Agile Manifesto was published in 2002 and it expands the values and principles, which when followed would lead to agility. Following are the values and principles of Agile Manifesto – 

Four Values:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan

Twelve Principles:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development.
3. Deliver working software frequently (weeks to months).
4. Business people and developers must work together daily.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals, giving them the environment and support they need.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more agile and adjusts accordingly.

To aspire agility, various Agile frameworks have evolved and are extensively used by software development teams across the globe, some of the more popular Agile frameworks are:

1. Scrum
2. Kanban
3. Lean
4. Extreme Programming (XP)
5. RUP
6. Crystal
7. Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
8. Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
9. Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
10. Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) and LeSS Huge
11. Scrum @ Scale
12. Spotify approach and more

By embracing Agile, teams can respond quickly to change, deliver value faster, and improve overall project outcomes. Now, let’s explore the comparison between the Scrum Master and Agile Coach roles and what is the difference between scrum master and agile coach.

All about the Scrum Master Role

1. What do they do?

1. Facilitate Scrum events (e.g., Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective)
2. Remove impediments and obstacles that hinder the team’s progress
3. Coach team members on Scrum principles, practices, and values
4. Ensure Scrum framework adherence and consistency
5. Support team dynamics and collaboration

2. Essential Skills

1.   Scrum framework expertise
2.   Facilitation and coaching
3.   Team dynamics and collaboration
4.   Problem-solving and conflict resolution
5.   Communication and interpersonal skills
6.   Adaptability and continuous learning

3. Focus: Team-level Scrum framework implementation, facilitation, and coaching

4. Scope: Single team or project

5. Responsibilities:

1. Facilitate Scrum events (e.g., Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective)
2. Remove impediments and obstacles
3. Coach team members on Scrum principles, practices, and values
4. Ensure Scrum framework adherence

6. Skillset:

1. Scrum framework expertise
2. Facilitation and coaching
3. Team dynamics and collaboration
4. Problem-solving and conflict resolution

7. Mindset: Servant-leadership, team-focused, tactical

All about the Agile Coach Role

1. What do they do?

1. Coach leaders, teams, and individuals on Agile mindset and practices
2. Facilitate workshops, meetings, and discussions to drive business agility and innovation
3. Support organizational design and change management to adopt Agile principles
4. Drive cultural transformation and continuous improvement

2. Essential Skills

1. Organizational development and design
2. Change management and leadership coaching
3. Agile framework expertise (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, Lean)
4. Facilitation and coaching
5. Strategic thinking and business acumen
6. Communication and interpersonal skills

3. Focus: Organizational-level Agile transformation, business agility, and culture change

4. Scope: Multiple teams, departments, or organization-wide

5. Responsibilities:

1. Coach leaders, teams, and individuals on Agile mindset and practices
2. Facilitate workshops, meetings, and discussions
3. Support organizational design and change management
4. Drive business agility and innovation

6. Skillset:

1. Organizational development and design
2. Change management and leadership coaching
3. Agile framework expertise (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, Lean)
4. Facilitation and coaching

7. Mindset: Transformational, organization-focused, Strategic

Is an Agile Coach and Scrum Master role Similar?

As an agile transformation consulting company, we get this asked a lot! Is agile coach and scrum master same? Agile Coach and Scrum Master share similarities, but they are not identical roles. Here’s a brief comparison:

Similarities between agile coach and scrum master

1. Both roles focus on facilitating Agile adoption and implementation.
2. They share similar skills, such as coaching, facilitation, and communication.
3. Both roles aim to improve team collaboration, productivity, and efficiency.

Difference between agile coach and scrum master

1. Agile Coach focuses on organizational-level Agile transformation, while Scrum Master focuses on team-level Scrum implementation.
2. Agile Coach drives business agility, cultural change, and organizational design, whereas Scrum Master ensures Scrum framework adherence, removes impediments, and coaches the team.
3. Agile Coach requires broader organizational development, change management, and strategic thinking skills, whereas Scrum Master requires deeper Scrum framework expertise and team dynamics skills.
4. Agile Coach has a transformational, organization-focused mindset, while Scrum Master has a servant-leadership, team-focused mindset.

Agile Coach is considered a more senior role, focusing on organizational transformation, whereas Scrum Master is a team-level role, focusing on Scrum implementation.

How to Choose Between an Agile Coach Vs Scrum Master?

How to know if you require an agile coach or a scrum master for your projects?

Before you make that decision, you need to be clear about what is the difference between agile and scrum master? To choose between an Agile Coach and Scrum Master, consider the following factors:

The Need	When to have an Agile Coach?	When to have a Scrum Master?
Organizational needs	To adopt Agile principles across multiple teams or departments, or requires cultural transformation	To implement Scrum within a single team or project.
Team size and complexity	Suitable for larger, more complex teams or organizations.	Suitable for smaller teams or projects.
Scope of work	Focuses on organizational-level Agile adoption, business agility and cultural change.	Focuses on team-level Scrum implementation, facilitation and coaching.
Skill set and expertise	Requires broader organizational development, change management and strategic thinking skills.	Requires deeper Scrum framework expertise and team dynamics skills.
Career goals and interests	Suitable for those interested in organizational transformation, leadership coaching and strategic planning	Suitable for those interested in team facilitation, coaching, and Scrum framework implementation.

Transformation of a Scrum Master into an Agile Coach

How to transition from scrum master to agile coach role?

To be an effective Agile Coach, the following are our suggestions for active Scrum Masters: 

1. Learn about Agile frameworks beyond Scrum (e.g., Kanban, Lean, XP, etc)
2. Develop organizational development, change management, and leadership coaching skills
3. Find a mentor who is an experienced Agile Coach and learn the ways to coach other Scrum Masters, teams, and leaders to develop Agile Coach skills
4. Understand organizational dynamics, market trends, and industry challenges and learn to connect the Agile adoption to business outcomes and strategy
5. Work with multiple teams, departments, or organizations and also facilitate large-scale Agile transformations and coaching
6. Facilitate workshops, meetings, and discussions at the organizational level as it will help in developing skills in conflict resolution, negotiation, and influence beyond single-team issues
7. Participate in webinars, agile communities, attend conferences, and participate in other online forums
8. Stay updated on Agile trends, research, and best practices and try to invest in not just team-level Agile implementation

Are Agile Coaches and Agile Consultants the same?

New question! Agile Coaches focus on coaching and mentoring, Agile Consultants are typically involved in designing, contextualizing and implementing agile transformation journeys based on unique client scenarios and business objectives. Following are the traits of the Agile Consultants that organizations can benefit from – 

1. Focuses on providing expert advice, analysis, and recommendations to organizations on Agile implementation
2. Usually engaged for a shorter period, providing targeted expertise and recommendations
3. May work across multiple organizations, providing external expertise and guidance
4. Emphasizes analytical, problem-solving, and advisory skills
5. When demand arises, they also perform agile coaching roles –
   1. coaching, mentoring, and guiding teams and leaders to adopt Agile principles and practices
   2. Empowering teams and building internal skill sets to drive the transformation forward
   3. Onboarding leadership teams and curating a framework for faster value realization

Conclusion

There are many similarities between the agile coach vs scrum master roles, however, there are important key differences. Organizations need to be aware of the nuanced differences between these roles and what each role brings to the table in order to leverage their expertise to implement successful agile ways of working across the organization at various levels.

As an agile consulting services company, Benzne invests a lot of time with our client stakeholders and particularly leadership teams to sensitize them about their roles, expectations from them, pitfalls they should be wary of and avoid and other elements that can impact transition to agile ways of working and in bringing true agility in the system. Knowing which role can be used for which specific purpose and who would be the right fit for that role is right on top of the priority list.

This brings our blog on “Agile Coach vs Scrum Master: what are the differences?” to an end. We sincerely hope this was helpful and helped you get a better understanding of both these roles, the difference between an agile coach and scrum master and how to use both these roles to bring agility in your organization. In case you need to talk to us or want us to share any feedback, please reach out to us at “consult@benzne.com” 

Frequently Asked Questions About Agile Coach Vs Scrum Master

1. Is a Scrum Master Agile coach a project manager?

An Agile Coach or Scrum master is not a Project Manager, although they may work together. Agile Coaches focus on coaching teams and organizations to adopt Agile principles and practices, while Project Managers oversee specific projects.

2. What is the salary of an agile coach & Scrum Master?

It depends completely on the experience, exposure and the value that one brings to the table. In India, on an average, an Agile Coach could get anywhere between 25L – 50L per annum while a Scrum Master could get 15L – 35L per annum, these are approximate numbers and actual value will vary based on various factors. Both Agile coach or scrum master roles are in good demand in the industry and offer a good professional alternative.

3. What is the next level of agile coach?

        a.Enterprise Agile Coach: Focuses on organizational-wide Agile transformation

        b.Agile Transformation Lead: Oversees multiple Agile Coaches and drives strategic Agile adoption

4. Is Scrum Master an Agile coach?

A Scrum Master is a type of Agile coach, but not all coaches are Scrum Masters. Scrum Masters focus on team-level Scrum implementation, while Agile Coaches have a broader focus on organizational Agile adoption

 5. What is the difference between a Scrum Master and an agile team leader?

An Agile Team Leader is a role that combines leadership and Agile expertise, focusing on guiding the team’s overall direction and Agile practices. Scrum Master focuses on Scrum framework, while Agile Team Leader has a broader Agile focus.

6. What is the difference between scrum master and agile coach?

We have captured the agile coach and scrum master difference in detail in the table above in the blog, please refer to the same.