The Accidental Agilists: One Team´s Journey from Waterfall to Agile

This case study outlines one team´s shift from the traditional waterfall methodology to an agile approach for Web and custom application development. The transformation occurred by accident over the course of a Web advising system project at The Ohio State University. Using the five stages of grieving as a metaphor, we will describe how the team moved from denial that the waterfall approach was failing to acceptance that agile practices would be the best way to deliver the mission-critical application. In the end, the entire team re-envisioned itself, transformed its business practices, and has evolved into a significantly more agile organization.