It’s the time of year when many of us take stock of the last 12 months and vow to improve next year. We will be smarter, more organized, perhaps even try something new. The numerous Integrity Matters articles written by our on-the-ground experts in 2014 provide a leg up for the New Year. They contain …
Continue reading “Acquisition and Program Management Tools for 2015”
In this time of tight budgets and potential loss of global technological superiority, the need for innovation is greater than ever. As Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics shared with an audience of defense industry leaders recently, “We have to focus more on innovation, and we have to get better capability …
Continue reading “3 Tools Worth Reading to Spur Innovative Federal IT Acquisition”
Since 2001, software developers have used the Agile methodology, employing short sprints and cross-team collaboration, to bring products to market faster with earlier customer input. Others have begun to apply the tenets of Agile beyond IT to the general field of acquisition. Why? To speed results, lower risk, and benefit from lessons learned throughout the …
Continue reading “AGILE ACQUISITION SUPPORT: REAL-WORLD CONSIDERATIONS”
Does this sound familiar? Mission and business owners define their requirements, “throw them over the fence”, and then the contracting and contractor community conduct activities to obtain and deliver the contracted solutions. But what about rapid changes in technology, short development time frames, reduced budgets, or greater complexity? These risks in execution lead to schedule …
Continue reading “Use the “A” Team for Integrated Acquisition Planning”
A new trend in acquisition – applying the modular method of “Agile” software development using daily meetings and lessons learned – is more productive than acquisition support done the “old way” because it utilizes necessary resources when and where they are required. Agile methodology applied to acquisition support is an increasingly preferred technique among Government …
Continue reading “Applying Agile Methodologies to Acquisition Support – The Benefits (Part II)”
Increasingly in today’s economic climate, Agile methodologies are the answer to the Government’s constant search for ways to do more with less. In its July 2012 report, “Effective Practices and Federal Challenges in Applying Agile Methods,” the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recognized that a growing number of federal agencies are using Agile techniques to develop …
Continue reading “Applying Agile Methodologies to Acquisition Support – The Basics”
In an environment of uncertain budgets and evolving technology, a modular or Agile approach to acquiring new systems can provide greater cost control and flexibility. In Part I of my primer on Agile, I wrote about the What and Why of the modular approach to buying information technology (IT). Now in Part II, I’ll look …
Continue reading “How to Make Agile Work for You in IT Acquisition”
Government agencies need the most innovative IT solutions, but they also need to “innovate with less.” That’s where Modular Acquisition comes in, taking a “small bites” approach to IT investment, which gives government fast access to the latest technology while lowering the risk of upfront spending on systems. The Agile approach is the most appropriate …
Continue reading “Think Agile in Modular Acquisition for IT”
Our Integrity experts each forecast one top trend for 2013. What emerging trends will dominate the next 12 months or more in acquisition and program management? And what should you know right now? Trending Up: Back to the Basics — Choosing the Right Contract Type Last November Mr. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense …
Continue reading “2013’s Top Trends in Acquisition and Program Management”
You’ve heard of strategic sourcing. You’re being advised to use it. But when does it work best and what’s the key to getting started? Integrity Fellow Tom Kuhn sits down with Chris Dorobek of the Dorobek Insider program for a wide-ranging discussion about how to make strategic sourcing work in federal agencies. Read the transcript, …
