As we cross the frontier into the fourth industrial revolution, the Agile paradigm is leading the way in software development. This approach dates to the winter of 2001, when 17 renowned software developers met at Snowbird, Utah. Coming out of that event was the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, a document that inspired a profound culture change in the way software is produced

Why Proposal Personnel need to Understand Agile

Why do proposal professionals need to understand the Agile paradigm? Because it is us who lead in preparing the proposals for the billions of dollars in Agile contracts. And whatever the value of Agile programs is today, it will be a lot more next year.

In this article we aim to provide a descriptive overview of the Agile technology. The article is for marketers and not technical personnel. This paradigm is embraced by more and more federal customers, because it has the capability to reduce the amount of waste that comes from failed system development programs.

Agile is both (1) a non-traditional, flexible way to create software products and (2) a new way to manage that process. Since its inception, Agile has been guided by adherence to these non-traditional, core values articulated in the Agile Manifesto:

  • Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
  • Working software over comprehensive documentation
  • Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
  • Responding to change over following a plan

Agile development is iterative and incremental. This means cross-functional teams pursue smaller projects phased in frequent “sprints” to create product rapidly, test it with customers, capture feedback, then start the cycle again to improve reliability.

Two common buzz words in Agile are “sprint,” which is a block of work lasting one to four – often two — weeks. The sprint is a unit within a “scrum,” which is the framework for managing product development. (“Scrum” is a maneuver in the game of Rugby, analogous to the toss-up in basketball, where two teams lock shoulders facing each other to try to get the ball which is on the ground in the middle without getting their face kicked.)

A third buzz word is “continuous delivery” Done right, continuous delivery of software is the holy grail of software development practice, customer retention and is the reason why DevOps is such a hot concept today.

In day-to-day practice Agile relies on small, self-managed teams of trusted individuals. It promotes continuous communication and collaboration among all stakeholders. Moreover, an agile environment, unlike its traditional predecessors, is one that expects and embraces continuous change.

Agile Procurement

The Agile system develop paradigm has led to the development of Agile procurement. As a result, procurement must evolve as well. The process may stay within certain recommended practices. But procurement may have to deal with the unplanned need for tools and outside services.

Agility in procurement can enable quick response to market variables, supply chain disruptions, organizational change (e.g., mergers, acquisitions), and changes in requirements.

The Agile Market

There apparently are no reliable figures on the dollar value of Agile software under development in any given year, probably because Agile is embedded in larger projects and not broken out separately. Revenue for purchase of agile tools was estimated at $300M in 2013. The generalization is made, the market is “huge and growing,” because “agile-based approaches are becoming the mainstream method for software development.” Yet, according to a McKinsey study, between 50 and 90% of companies are still very early on the learning curve.

Strengths of the Agile Paradigm

A survey of the agile community highlighted reasons for the popularity of the new method in Government: Respondents said their Agile-inspired projects enjoyed a 10 point (58 vs. 48%) improved success rate over the “traditional” project management current best practices. Additionally, one Government study found that Agile speeded up projects by 21 days on the average. We have previously mentioned the huge advantages of flexibility and adaptability in the methodology. And we shouldn’t forget the greater usefulness of a software system that comes online much sooner than systems developed using traditional methods.

Consequently, it is not surprising that leading online companies Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Spotify, and AutoTrader were early adopters.

Agile in Government

Government program managers found that many people were interested in agile in government, but they didn’t know how to begin. In order to help those who lack mature knowledge, the Agile Government Leadership (AGL) organization launched the “Agile Government Handbook.” This acts as a simple guide for adopting those short, bite-size goals that agile practices preach. The online guide includes the agile manifesto, checklist and key questions, among other sections.

One term the handbook highlights is Minimum Viable Product or MVP, a popular idea in Silicon Valley. A section about key questions to ask when executing agile projects would always include, “How long did it take to ship the MVP? If it has not shipped yet, when will it?”

Agile and the FAR

There was a concern as to whether Agencies were authorized to design acquisitions based on Agile principles. The FAR does not specifically reference Agile concepts. In order to eliminate concerns, the Government published the TechFAR Handbook. This document points out that Agile development methods are consistent with modular contracting as outlined in Part 39 of the FAR. Modular contracting, and Agile software development have a number of shared goals These include frequent delivery of usable capabilities, increased flexibility, reduction of risk, and increased monitoring of contractor performance. It is important to remember that “Agile is not primarily a method of procurement, but a methodology on how the contractor performs the work.”

18F

A key group facilitating the roll out of Agile methods in Government is 18F. 18F is a digital services group within the GSA built on the lean startup model. (18F gets its name from its location in a building where 18th and F Streets intersect in Washington, DC.) 18F Consulting functions as an Agile development and acquisitions planning group, which essentially acts as an Agile coach to agencies across Government. In their online literature, 18F consulting says this: “We guide you through proven practices in human-centered design, lean startup, agile architecture, agile development, open data, and DevOps. These industry-standard techniques increase the likelihood your next initiative will thrive.”

Anyone familiar with Federal agency processes can certainly appreciate that this is no easy feat; there are implicit challenges when creating new systems. But, the application of Agile project management methodologies can make the process smoother and more manageable. As the need for better systems and processes has increased, Federal agencies need help implementing these projects using Agile project management

With 18F Consulting leading the way, more and more agencies will expect an Agile project management approach as they update systems and undertake major IT projects. Federal project and program managers will need to be skilled in Agile project management and how to effectively use the methodology in the Federal environment.