Agile in Government: Executive Overview

Agile is not a silver bullet. Several DoD programs and Federal programs of varying size and complexity have experienced benefits from working productively with contractors using Agile/Lean methods. SAFe is the most frequently adopted scaling framework among DoD contractors. Lean Engineering on top of Agile * Flexible but well-described framework * Not inherently aware of DoD acquisition life cycle and its constraints; requires adaptation. Adopting Agile methods involves (sometimes significant) cultural shifts as well as practice changes * Transition and adoption approaches for other major organizational changes will work for Agile adoption as well * Many adoption support mechanisms exist out in the commercial world that can be adapted to regulated settings. The SEI technical notes and other resources (blogs, podcasts, etc.) on Agile adoption are meant to support acquisition practitioners in becoming knowledgeable about different issues they may encounter when adopting Agile or Lean methods.