Category: waterfull

Direct communication as a half-dead project saver: When you start in an over-waterfall company

April 30, 2009 by Przemysław Bielicki

Picture courtesy of clagnut@flickr

At the end of year 2008 our team was given a project that was critical from the $$ point of view. We had to deliver the project by the end of March 2009 in order to avoid huge fees from our customer. The problem was that the project we got was being developed by different team in different location and the quality of the existing solution was at least questionable. It turned out that the whole old team left the company and our small commando squad had to save the day. I just have to mention that the company we all worked for was a pure-waterfall monster.

You know, agile books are fun to read, but how do you start it if you happen to be a developer in a pure waterfall company on an impossible project? I went through it and going to show what worked well for us. I will tell how we were able to get an impossible project apply the agile principles and survive.