ThoughtWorks
  • Contact
  • Español
  • Português
  • Deutsch
  • 中文
Go to overview
  • Engineering Culture, Delivery Mindset

    Embrace a modern approach to software development and deliver value faster

    Intelligence-Driven Decision Making

    Leverage your data assets to unlock new sources of value

  • Frictionless Operating Model

    Improve your organization's ability to respond to change

    Platform Strategy

    Create adaptable technology platforms that move with your business strategy

  • Experience Design and Product Capability

    Rapidly design, deliver and evolve exceptional products and experiences

    Partnerships

    Leveraging our network of trusted partners to amplify the outcomes we deliver for our clients

Go to overview
  • Automotive
  • Cleantech, Energy and Utilities
  • Financial Services and Insurance
  • Healthcare
  • Media and Publishing
  • Not-for-profit
  • Public Sector
  • Retail and E-commerce
  • Travel and Transport
Go to overview

Featured

  • Technology

    An in-depth exploration of enterprise technology and engineering excellence

  • Business

    Keep up to date with the latest business and industry insights for digital leaders

  • Culture

    The place for career-building content and tips, and our view on social justice and inclusivity

Digital Publications and Tools

  • Technology Radar

    An opinionated guide to technology frontiers

  • Perspectives

    A publication for digital leaders

  • Digital Fluency Model

    A model for prioritizing the digital capabilities needed to navigate uncertainty

  • Decoder

    The business execs' A-Z guide to technology

All Insights

  • Articles

    Expert insights to help your business grow

  • Blogs

    Personal perspectives from ThoughtWorkers around the globe

  • Books

    Explore our extensive library

  • Podcasts

    Captivating conversations on the latest in business and tech

Go to overview
  • Application process

    What to expect as you interview with us

  • Grads and career changers

    Start your tech career on the right foot

  • Search jobs

    Find open positions in your region

  • Stay connected

    Sign up for our monthly newsletter

Go to overview
  • Conferences and Events
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • News
  • Open Source
  • Our Leaders
  • Social Change
  • Español
  • Português
  • Deutsch
  • 中文
ThoughtWorksMenu
  • Close   ✕
  • What we do
  • Who we work with
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • About
  • Contact
  • Back
  • Close   ✕
  • Go to overview
  • Engineering Culture, Delivery Mindset

    Embrace a modern approach to software development and deliver value faster

  • Experience Design and Product Capability

    Rapidly design, deliver and evolve exceptional products and experiences

  • Frictionless Operating Model

    Improve your organization's ability to respond to change

  • Intelligence-Driven Decision Making

    Leverage your data assets to unlock new sources of value

  • Partnerships

    Leveraging our network of trusted partners to amplify the outcomes we deliver for our clients

  • Platform Strategy

    Create adaptable technology platforms that move with your business strategy

  • Back
  • Close   ✕
  • Go to overview
  • Automotive
  • Cleantech, Energy and Utilities
  • Financial Services and Insurance
  • Healthcare
  • Media and Publishing
  • Not-for-profit
  • Public Sector
  • Retail and E-commerce
  • Travel and Transport
  • Back
  • Close   ✕
  • Go to overview
  • Featured

  • Technology

    An in-depth exploration of enterprise technology and engineering excellence

  • Business

    Keep up to date with the latest business and industry insights for digital leaders

  • Culture

    The place for career-building content and tips, and our view on social justice and inclusivity

  • Digital Publications and Tools

  • Technology Radar

    An opinionated guide to technology frontiers

  • Perspectives

    A publication for digital leaders

  • Digital Fluency Model

    A model for prioritizing the digital capabilities needed to navigate uncertainty

  • Decoder

    The business execs' A-Z guide to technology

  • All Insights

  • Articles

    Expert insights to help your business grow

  • Blogs

    Personal perspectives from ThoughtWorkers around the globe

  • Books

    Explore our extensive library

  • Podcasts

    Captivating conversations on the latest in business and tech

  • Back
  • Close   ✕
  • Go to overview
  • Application process

    What to expect as you interview with us

  • Grads and career changers

    Start your tech career on the right foot

  • Search jobs

    Find open positions in your region

  • Stay connected

    Sign up for our monthly newsletter

  • Back
  • Close   ✕
  • Go to overview
  • Conferences and Events
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • News
  • Open Source
  • Our Leaders
  • Social Change
Blogs
Select a topic
View all topicsClose
Technology 
Agile Project Management Cloud Continuous Delivery  Data Science & Engineering Defending the Free Internet Evolutionary Architecture Experience Design IoT Languages, Tools & Frameworks Legacy Modernization Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Microservices Platforms Security Software Testing Technology Strategy 
Business 
Financial Services Global Health Innovation Retail  Transformation 
Careers 
Career Hacks Diversity & Inclusion Social Change 
Blogs

Topics

Choose a topic
  • Technology
    Technology
  • Technology Overview
  • Agile Project Management
  • Cloud
  • Continuous Delivery
  • Data Science & Engineering
  • Defending the Free Internet
  • Evolutionary Architecture
  • Experience Design
  • IoT
  • Languages, Tools & Frameworks
  • Legacy Modernization
  • Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
  • Microservices
  • Platforms
  • Security
  • Software Testing
  • Technology Strategy
  • Business
    Business
  • Business Overview
  • Financial Services
  • Global Health
  • Innovation
  • Retail
  • Transformation
  • Careers
    Careers
  • Careers Overview
  • Career Hacks
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Social Change
Career HacksPuneCareers

Going from Waterfall to Agile

Gayathri Moghe Gayathri Moghe

Published: Dec 26, 2014

Agile - look up this word in any dictionary and the meaning you’ll find is something along the lines of "able to move quickly and easily”. The new dictionaries have made space to accommodate another meaning with reference to the software industry - "relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, that is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans”(1).Similarly, a search for Agile on Google can flood the page with so many references and articles that, more often than not, end up confusing the user than explaining the concept.

Like some people new to agile in the software industry, the most I really new about agile and ThoughtWorks, was that it was a propagator of this methodology. As a good student, I had done my homework by reading as much as possible on agile before joining ThoughtWorks. Little did I know, that this was no where close to preparing me for what was about to hit me hard - the agile practice.  I realised reading about agile is one thing, and practicing it, quite another.

On the first day in my first project in ThoughtWorks I stood by as the other teammates gave their updates in the stand up and moved towards the ‘wall’ for sign-ups. The story wall was set up for the various phases like ‘In-analysis’, ‘Ready-for-dev’, ‘In-Dev’,‘Dev done’, ‘Ready-for-QA’,’In-QA’, ‘QA-done’ and ‘Ready-for-release/Showcase’. The cards were neatly lined up in various lanes, depending on which stage of development they were in. The successive days saw the cards being quickly moved to the next lanes. In the blink of an eye, the stories were getting completed and thrown into the QA bucket. To me, it seemed like the earth spinning at twice its usual speed. How can something get developed so fast? What was this velocity that was being called out for every iteration? What is burn-out? What goes on in an IPM? What do story estimates like 1-2-4-8 mean? What is an epic? What is dev-box? Questions like these flew thick and fast in my mind.

Coming from a company that practiced the traditional waterfall model of software development, where QAs sat pretty until the entire development cycle cloud burst to rain work on the QAs, I found this to be totally new ground. It took me a couple of weeks to comprehend all that was going around and feel the earth spin at its normal speed again. I soon realised, the key in this mode of working was to walk hand in hand with the devs to keep pace with development. The turnaround cycle was quick and very effective with immediate feedback at every stage. As a QA, while the dev work was on for a project, I had time to put down my test scenarios and test cases in the story card. This helped set the expectation with the devs as well as bring down the time spent in testing.

So for a newbie in ThoughtWorks and who happens to be new to the agile world, here is what to expect:

  • Reading about agile isn’t usually enough to prepare you for agile in practice
  • Every member in the team, be it a developer or QA or BA can get involved in the project as early as the inception, so as to keep pace and be involved in every step
  • The stories move through each phase of development quickly and will be out for showcase in no time
  • The feedback cycle is quick and this helps in getting out a software/product with fewer/no defects
  • Agile is QUICK. Be prepared. I’ve probably said it enough times before!

 

(1)"agile - Oxford Dictionaries." 2013. 19 Dec. 2014 <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/agile>

Events

Learn more about and participate in our thought-leadership events across the world.

Find out more
  • What we do
  • Who we work with
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • About
  • Contact

WeChat

×
QR code to ThoughtWorks China WeChat subscription account

Media and analyst relations | Privacy policy | Modern Slavery statement ThoughtWorks| Accessibility | © 2021 ThoughtWorks, Inc.