Implementing Agile Project Management in the U.S. Department of Defense

摘要

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) funds a plethora of projects worth between multi-million and multi-billions of dollars. These projects rely heavily on software and information systems to keep pace with technological changes and emerging global threats, and thus are critical to the overall safety and security of the United States (U .S .). As a result, acquisition, implementation, and disposal of these technologies have become more expensive. Simultaneously, the nation's increased political and financial upheavals have made sequestrations more prevalent today than years prior, with increased calls to reduce funding to the DoD, and more generally, the Federal Government. To curtail spending and adapt to today's dynamic landscape, project managers within the DoD are looking to new project management methodologies. Most program managers and executives have identified and selected the Agile process to keep their software-intensive project deliveries on-time and on-budget. Successful application of the Agile process, which conforms to DoD standards, has been difficult for most programs to ascertain. In fact, there is little formal guidance on how to apply the Agile process to conform to these standards. This paper explores the benefits and limitations of Agile Project Management and conduct a thorough analysis of DoD and other federal government agencies' implementation of the management technique to identify problematic areas. Agile Project Management involves an iterative approach to project planning, to guide the development of the product. Similarly, engineering management combines engineering expertise with organizational management to drive the development and sustainment of complex projects throughout their lifecycles. This work defines the scoping and tasking best suited for Agile to better support engineering management decisions for DoD systems.