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Feeling Agile? The project management approach is slowly sifting into DFAS over the last several years. In the future, employees will hear more about Agile and learn how to become involved with this process.
"In the agency, Agile is going to impact systems teams," said Bridgett Emerson, one of the DFAS Agile transformation team members. "Agile is an approach to consider whenever you're trying to manage anything that requires coordination and collaboration of complex multiple moving parts over a period of time."
In contrast to Agile, the more traditional software development and project management style known as "Waterfall." In this methodology, the requirements, design, and testing follow a sequential process flow, worked in isolation from the client, and decisions are made and finalized on requirements at the beginning of the process when the least is known about the product.
"In the Waterfall method, we have a tendency to communicate up front and then not again until it's done," Emerson said.
Under Waterfall, if the client were happy, the client would accept the product. If the client were unhappy, then the entire process would start again.
Agile introduced in DFAS
Six years ago, a different methodology option arrived at DFAS. Known as "Agile," this methodology primarily existed in IT fields, particularly in large technology companies.
"It was easy to see the value-add of Agile in comparison to the old Waterfall way of software development," said Aaron Gillison, Strategy & Support deputy director. Agile includes the client, or product owner, in each step of the process. The larger task is broken down into smaller, manageable tasks, and those tasks are completed together within a shorter amount of time, which is known as an iteration or "sprint."
Emerson said that the Agile way focuses on interactions, collaboration, delivering increments of working solutions, and responding to change. "Everyone is working on these small chunks together," Emerson said, "so, everyone knows what's expected; everyone knows what is happening, and everyone knows what's going to be delivered."
By working on smaller iterations, changes or adjustments are identified quickly before moving on to the next step.
Gillison said that he saw Agile's success in the Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies, as well as in other private companies, and was eager to introduce it to DFAS.
"With Agile, all stakeholders are included upfront and continuously throughout every step of the process in Scrum teams which are inclusive of requirements drivers, developers, programmers, testers, and users," Gillison said.
DFAS formally introduced Agile after the Information and Technology reorganization in 2012, according to Emerson.
DFAS piloted the Agile methodology on the technology refresh for the SmartVoucher system. Senior leaders were so impressed with the result that they sought to expand the use of Agile within IT, always with an eye on taking it further across DFAS, according to Emerson.
A handful of people developed the Agile training and mentoring program between 2013 and 2016. In April 2016, the Agile transformation team led the first formal Agile training class, according to Jacob St. Louis, another Agile coach.
Fully developed program
The Agile transformation team is part of the Assessment, Analysis, and Assignment Directorate in Information and Technology.
The Agile Transformation Program includes the following components:
◦Agile Boot Camp – two days of training followed by up to 24 months of coaching and mentoring.
◦Infusion and Sustainment Metrics – revealing the impact Agile has on DFAS and a solution delivery team in terms of time to deliver value and time spent on rework.
◦Outreach – Communities of Practice, ePortal page, Agile 101 overview.
"Our 24-month Boot Camp engagement begins with the class. Then the mentoring takes them from start-up to operating-level maturity so that they can go into sustainment and continue to use Agile on their own," Emerson said.
"In addition to the formal Boot Camp, we provide high-level overview session for teams, groups, offices, divisions, or directorates that are interested in getting familiar with Agile concepts," said St. Louis.
Eight teams graduated from Agile Boot Camp and are now in sustainment, according to St. Louis. There are also currently eight teams active in the Agile Boot Camp.
Some of the outcomes are each team experiencing a reduction in the time to deliver value to the customer and in the time spent on rework, when comparing their pre-Agile to post-Agile data, according to St. Louis.
Specifically, St. Louis said, "Across all of the teams who have participated in and graduated from the Agile Boot Camp, DFAS has experienced an average of 44 and 38 percent reduction in time to deliver value and time spent on rework, respectively."
He went on further to say "teams are additionally experiencing the intangible benefits from increased communication and collaboration between the entire solution delivery team, which includes end-user, customer, product owner, analyst, programmer and tester."
"The Agile process may not be for everything; it is a mindset that sets in motion a culture change," St. Louis said. "The more complex, the more people you need to keep in contact with, the more you'll want to adopt Agile."
St. Louis concluded, "If your team is challenged by constantly changing priorities, delayed implementations, unclear requirements, and lack of communication, then Agile can be the best place to start."
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.31.2019 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 357890 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 147 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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