Addressing the Barriers to Agile Development in the Department of Defense: Program Structure, Requirements, and Contracting

Abstract

Program managers and executives in the Department of Defense (DoD) have struggled for years to tailor the acquisition framework to promote delivery of information technology (IT) capabilities in small, frequent releases the approach that characterizes Agile development. DoD acquisition professionals increasingly recognize the potential of Agile methods, but do not know how to apply Agile within the unique and complex defense acquisition environment. Several aspects of the defense acquisition process have proven especially challenging in the implementation of Agile practices. For example, the lack of knowledge about how to tailor the DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.02 process for an Agile development can deter a program from considering the use of Agile techniques in the first place. Many DoD IT acquisition programs are unfamiliar with the IT Box requirements concept, and thus cannot take advantage of its flexibilities to enable Agile development. In addition, long contracting timelines and the tendency to lock down Agile requirements in a contract have become barriers to implementing the speed and flexibility necessary for successful Agile adoption. This paper offers specific acquisition solutions and strategies to address these identified high barriers to Agile development in DoD.