Facilitation for Distributed Agile Teams

Working with distributed teams is not a new idea. However, its implementation has been accelerated in many organizations by our recent global pandemic. Fortunately, the tools needed to work remotely have been evolving and are extremely effective. But what are those tools, and is a tool enough? How do distributed teams work within an agile philosophy?

Agile highlights that face-to-face communication is the most efficient and effective method to convey information; it even includes individuals and interactions in one of its four key values. So how does this work when we have distributed agile teams, even fragmented ones? What can a facilitator do to maintain a positive and effective workflow in these circumstances?

In this course, we will answer these questions. Students will learn the basic concepts and principles associated with successful remote facilitation and will practice using different techniques and tools. Also, students will gain practical recommendations to energize and encourage the participation of all attendees.

Distributed agile team facilitation is different and requires some unique skills, but it doesn’t mean work can’t get accomplished. It can even mean an opportunity to stop doing agile and actually start being agile.

1. Welcome and Course Intro
2. Agile Remote Facilitation
   1. Remote facilitation context and trends
   2. Benefits and challenges for remote facilitation
   3. Agile facilitation
   4. Remote facilitated sessions approach
   5. Activity: Propose a facilitated session
3. Session Feasibility
   1. Determine need, level of commitment, risks, and appropriateness
   2. Facilitation techniques
   3. Remote facilitation tools
   4. Activity: Assess feasibility of your session
4. Planning and Preparation
   1. Plan the session: determine purpose, number of sessions, participants, deliverables
   2. Remote facilitated session canvas
   3. Activity: Plan your session
   4. Prepare the session: participants, detailed agenda, facilities, and technology
   5. Activity: Create a detailed agenda for your session
5. Conducting the Session
   1. Introduce the session
   2. Activity: Introduce your session
   3. Facilitate session to agenda
   4. Activity: Facilitate your session
   5. Concluding the session
   6. Action plan development
   7. Session follow-up
6. Course Summary, Conclusions, and Feedback