New Report Details Government Agencies’ Adoption of Agile

In an effort to learn more about the progress, challenges, and cultural trends government organizations experience when using Agile practices, Scaled Agile® conducted research and released its Government Agility Report.  

The data provides insights from government employees and mid-level managers working on Agile teams using Lean-Agile principles and highlights some positive steps and challenges toward achieving the government’s mandates to implement Agile practices.  

The Report’s four key findings highlight: 

1. The positive role of leadership in Agile adoption 
2. How agencies are navigating funding in an Agile landscape 
3. The integration of suppliers and contractors 
4. The cultural implications for government agencies 

The results show steady progress in modernizing IT systems and adopting Agile ways of working. The Report also shows how legacy “norms” in government organizations thwart some aspects of Agile, specifically in project management, team roles, feedback, and funding. 

For Bluescape, data showing that government leaders are willing to try new ideas and processes to achieve better results and are open to outside solutions to help advance the Agile process is great news. We believe that with the right solution, organizations can translate Agile’s speed into service, savings, and satisfaction. 

Virtual whiteboard platforms like Bluescape, which is FedRAMP® authorized and features Scaled Agile templates, can help agencies advance Agile practices by streamlining tasks like planning and tracking workflow, allowing teams to visualize information in context for sprints. The real-time availability of an online tool allows teams to make quick changes to project schedules and tasks while keeping everyone involved informed. 

The Report reinforces that government organizations, like their commercial counterparts, must continue to focus on consistent SAFe practices and other Lean-Agile methodologies. Using a crawl-walk-run approach to Agile keeps organizations motivated by “wins” such as increased speed and more frequent deliverables while culture and policy modernizations move at a slower pace.  

The Report concludes that technology is moving forward at an unrelenting pace, and the ability to plan and adjust is imperative. For government agencies working against decades-old ways of working and thinking, Agile offers a path forward. 

How does your agency compare to the results in the Government Agility Report? Download it now and see for yourself.