An Innovative Approach to Lower the Risk of Software-Intensive Development Programs

Abstract

Since 1973, nearly 80% of DoD ACAT I programs have experienced cost overruns, coupled with a four-out-of-five chance of not fielding capability to the warfighter on time. With the DoD acquisition reforms of the past two decades, the probability of program success (PoPS) rate is improving. To continue improving PoPS, program management tools and techniques need to develop and become institutionalized to monitor software-intensive-based capability, control, and logic development efforts. A lack of sufficient tools to monitor software development costs and performance to the integrated baseline drives uncertainty and risk. The earned value management system (EVMS) approach lacks meaningful measures for software-intensive development programs, and you ca not control what you ca not measure (DeMarco, 1986, p. 58). Using commercially available (often freeware) tools, a robust set of automated managers can measure near real-time progress and identify trouble areas early in the software development process to allow meaningful correction to occur. This paper explores agile sprint development and continuous integration and test best practices, and the potential for an innovative approach of intertwining the two to reduce risk and increase PoPS.