FedCLASS: A Case Study of Agile and Lean Practices in the Federal Government

Abstract

This case study tells the story of the development of a critical IT system within an executive department of the U.S. federal government, using iterative, Agile, and Lean development methods and cloud-based technologies. This study reports the successes and challenges of using this new development approach in a government software development environment so that other government entities can benefit from the experiences of this project. The study is based on conversations with team members, observations of team activities, and examination of work products, documentation, and program guidance. The report describes the organizations responsible for creating the software solution, establishing the development process, and structuring acquisition activities. It then details the product development process in chronological order and describes the development approaches and technologies. It also puts events into the context of external environmental influences to present a development effort as it confronts real-world challenges. The final section describes in-sights gleaned during the research of this case study and includes analysis of the organizations experiences with Agile and Lean adoption, technical approaches, and project leadership. These insights may benefit future Agile projects in the federal government and the software engineering community as a whole.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2018
Accession Number
AD1061594

Entities

People

  • Jeff Davenport
  • Linda P. Gates
  • Nanette Brown
  • Tamara Marshall-keim

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agile Software Development
  • Case Studies
  • Computer Program Documentation
  • Computer Program Reliability
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Data Centers
  • Databases
  • Electronic Messaging
  • Graphical User Interface
  • Information Systems
  • Network Protocols
  • Operating Systems
  • Relational Database Management Systems
  • Software Development
  • Software Development Tools

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Software Engineering.