Facilitating High-Performing Agile Teams (ICP-ATF) Course
1Summary
Most Agile teams don't fail because of the framework they picked — they fail because nobody in the room knows how to run a retrospective that produces real change, or a stand-up that stays on time. That gap is exactly what the ICP-ATF certification exists to close.
Through the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy's Agile Team Facilitation (ICP-ATF) course, participants build the practical facilitation toolkit Agile teams actually rely on: guiding discussions without dominating them, defusing conflict before it stalls a sprint, and turning a room of individuals into a self-organising unit. The eleven-week programme blends facilitation theory with hands-on practice across every major Agile ceremony — stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, and retrospectives — so graduates leave able to facilitate from day one, not just explain the concepts on paper.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
This course is built for anyone whose day-to-day depends on getting an Agile team to move together, including:
- Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters running ceremonies and coaching teams toward self-organisation.
- Project managers and team leads working to remove friction inside Agile delivery.
- Business analysts and product owners who need stakeholders and delivery teams pulling in the same direction.
- Team members stepping into an informal facilitation or leadership role.
- Managers rolling out Agile practices and building high-performing, self-organising teams.
What You'll Gain
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Facilitate Agile ceremonies — stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives, and backlog refinement — so they stay focused, on time, and outcome-driven.
- Apply active listening, trust-building, and conflict-resolution techniques to keep team dynamics healthy under pressure.
- Design and run participatory workshops that use visual thinking to unlock problem-solving and creativity.
- Coach teams toward self-organisation and accountability rather than directing them.
- Build a continuous-improvement mindset that keeps teams adapting sprint after sprint.
- Engage stakeholders more effectively, strengthening trust and collaboration across the organisation.
3Course Content
Module 1: Why Facilitation Makes or Breaks an Agile Team
- The facilitator's role compared to traditional team leadership.
- How poor facilitation quietly derails sprints and ceremonies.
- Traditional versus Agile facilitation mindsets.
Module 2: The Facilitator's Core Toolkit
- Active listening and powerful questioning techniques.
- Building trust and psychological safety within a team.
- Conflict-resolution tools for tense, high-stakes moments.
- Brainstorming and problem-solving techniques that keep people engaged.
Module 3: Running Agile Ceremonies That Work
- Facilitating stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives that produce outcomes.
- Facilitating backlog refinement sessions.
- Keeping focus and engagement, and handling challenging group dynamics.
Module 4: Designing Workshops People Actually Want to Join
- Structuring and planning effective participatory team workshops.
- Using visual tools and techniques to drive collaboration.
Module 5: From Facilitation to Self-Organisation
- Encouraging accountability and genuine self-organisation.
- Embedding a culture of continuous improvement that outlasts the training.