There is a growing body of knowledge on agile coaching, and some of the tools required to be an effective agile coach. These books are a great starting point for anyone interested in understanding what an agile coach is, how to become an agile coach, or generally how to be more effective as a coach or ScrumMaster.
These books assume knowledge and experience with agile, and are not an introduction to agile.
I list them here in the order in which I read them. If you are an agile coach, ScrumMaster, or someone interested in helping teams and organizations achieve higher performance, then these are essential reading.
- Agile Retrospectives by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen. Published by the Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2006. ISBN 0-9776166-4-9.
- Agile Coaching by Rachel Davies and Liz Sedley. Published by the Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2009. ISBN 978-1-93435-643-2.
- Collaboration Explained by Jean Tabaka. Published by Addison-Wesley, 2006. ISBN 0321268776.
- Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews by Norm Kerth. Published by Dorset House Publishing, 2001. ISBN 978-0-932633-44-6.
- Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins. Published by Addison-Wesley, 2010. ISBN 978-0321637703.
Two of the books are specifically about retrospectives. Retrospectives are an essential tool in our box as coaches, and developing skills with a variety of retrospective techniques is important.