The Government Accountability Office has published an updated guide that provides federal auditors and other officials with best practices to assess the use of Agile approach to software development across the federal government.
GAO said Tuesday the guide is also intended for organizations and programs that have developed protocols and policies for Agile adoption and implementation and those that are in the process of adopting Agile software development practices.
The guide classifies Agile adoption best practices into three categories: team dynamics and activities; program operations; and organization environment.
Under team dynamics and activities, team composition supports Agile methods, repeatable processes are in place and work is prioritized to maximize value for the customer.
The document also covers Agile and contracting best practices including tailoring acquisition planning and contract structure to align with Agile practices, incorporating Agile metrics, tools and lessons learned from retrospectives during the contract management process and integrating the program office and the developers.
To align acquisition and contract structure with Agile practices, the guide calls on the government to encourage the use of modular contracting, enable flexibility for contract requirements and decide to structure the contract for goods or services.
