Consider adding a formal notion of a Functional Safety Critical Development Coach/Mentor
Processes need an owner. If a project is engaged in functional safety critical development, then they need somebody who is responsible to making sure that the team is following their process (be it Eclipse TSF or something else).
I envision the Eclipse Foundation's Functional Safety Lead acting as a force multiplier. They would work with the individual team coaches, facilitate development of resources, etc. On that note, the Functional Safety Lead might be something that should be defined in the process as well.
Coaching could be an additional responsibility for the project lead. But I'm inclined to define it separately.
Does a process coach need to be a committer?
What are the specific responsibilities of the role?
I'm taking inspiration from the notion of an Agile Coach:
Here are the key responsibilities of an Agile Coach:
- Facilitating Agile Adoption and Transformation: Guides individuals, teams, and the organization through the complex process of shifting to an Agile mindset and practices. They help redefine traditional processes within an Agile framework.
- Coaching Individuals & Teams: Applies professional coaching techniques to help team members and teams identify goals, overcome challenges, improve performance, and continuously develop their skills and mindset. This includes one-on-one coaching and team-level interventions.
- Providing Mentorship: Offers guidance and shares expertise on applying Agile principles, practices, and frameworks, often on a more granular level, helping individuals within their specific roles and fostering career progression.
- Promoting Collaboration and Communication: Works to break down silos, create an environment that empowers cross-functional teamwork, open communication, and conflict resolution within and across teams.
- Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Instills a mindset of ongoing learning, adaptation, and reflection. They encourage teams to regularly assess their processes, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes iteratively.
- Guiding Organizational Change: Helps navigate the resistance and challenges associated with Agile transformation at all levels, ensuring individuals and groups adapt to new ways of working, policies, and procedures.
- Developing Agile Leadership: Coaches and mentors executives, managers, and team leads to adopt Agile principles in their leadership style, which is crucial for sustaining agility throughout the organization.
- Identifying and Addressing Impediments (Systemic): While Scrum Masters handle team-level impediments, Agile Coaches often address more systemic, organizational impediments that might be beyond a single team's control.
- Training and Workshops: Conducts training sessions and workshops on various Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, etc.), practices (e.g., TDD, CI/CD), and soft skills (e.g., facilitation, feedback).
I don't mean to suggest that we should adopt all of the above in the notion of an FSC Coach, but maybe we can draw some inspiration from it.