Operational Test in Agile Development: Vetted Capability at the Speed of Relevance

Abstract

The traditional Operational Test and Evaluation (OT and E) process and timeline are no longer sufficient to keep pace within an agile software development environment. Agile development requires OT and E to be just as agile while still ensuring the adequacy and sufficiency required to keep the Fleet's trust in new capabilities. In order to accomplish this, we recommend five initiatives that will help the current OT and E process. Those initiatives are: The "Pulverizer," an agile Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP), universal test plan working group, an integrated operational test assessment, and a dedicated annual OT and E period. These initiatives make the bureaucratic requirements for OT and E much more streamlined and agile. They ensure an annual schedule all stakeholders can work towards and drive down many of the important OT and E decisions to the test squadron level. These recommendations have already been shown to work with positive feedback from stakeholders for the F/A-18 program. If these changes are implemented across all of naval aviation, OT and E can be become as agile as the software development.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1213582

Entities

People

  • Brian D Morrill
  • Joseph D Polnaszek

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Aerial Warfare
  • Agile Software Development
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Best Practices
  • California
  • Department Of Defense
  • Developmental Tests
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Governments
  • Intelligence Community (United States)
  • Literature Surveys
  • Military Acquisition
  • Naval Aviation
  • Navy
  • Software Development
  • System Software
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • Two Dimensional
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.