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Organizing for Success

By Trent Hone, Gene Kim, Dr. Steven J. Spear, Brian Beachkofski, Max Reele, Jay Long, Jesse Cooper, Rick Jack, Andres Otero, John Schreiner, Jeff Worthington

Why Many Government Software Factories Are Dying While Others are Thriving

Winning the future fight requires fully unleashing technical capabilities across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies. Developing software at speed and scale is crucial to that effort. In February 2022, Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks charted a path forward by releasing the DoD Software Modernization Strategy, arguing that “delivering a more lethal force requires the ability to evolve faster and be more adaptable than our adversaries.”

However, government software efforts lag behind. Operating at greater speed and agility is absolutely essential to winning the future fight. After surveying approximately 30 government software efforts, some key attributes as to what is going wrong are clear—first, it is not a technology issue. Instead, it is organizational—most DoD software efforts are not achieving desired war-fighter outcomes because they are not organized to succeed. Our findings reinforce prior research that indicates the greatest challenges with DoD software are “non-technical challenges dealing with regulations, organizational culture, and process.”

  • Publication Date September 27, 2022
  • Pages 7

Features

  • Key Attributes

    This paper surveyed 30 government software efforts and lists some key attributes learned from that survey.

  • Culture is Key

    The findings in this paper reinforce prior research that indicates the greatest challenges with DoD software are non-technical challenges.

  • Expert Authors

    This paper was compiled by technology leaders in the DoD and from individual surveys.

  • All Levels

    Change Agents can come from anywhere on the org chart. This paper directly provides guidance on how to lead change no matter your role or title.

About the Resource

Winning the future fight requires fully unleashing technical capabilities across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and other government agencies. Developing software at speed and scale is crucial to that effort. In February 2022, Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks charted a path forward by releasing the DoD Software Modernization Strategy, arguing that “delivering a more lethal force requires the ability to evolve faster and be more adaptable than our adversaries.”

However, government software efforts lag behind. Operating at greater speed and agility is absolutely essential to winning the future fight. After surveying approximately 30 government software efforts, some key attributes as to what is going wrong are clear—first, it is not a technology issue. Instead, it is organizational—most DoD software efforts are not achieving desired war-fighter outcomes because they are not organized to succeed. Our findings reinforce prior research that indicates the greatest challenges with DoD software are “non-technical challenges dealing with regulations, organizational culture, and process.”

Trent Hone
Gene Kim
Dr. Steven J. Spear
Brian Beachkofski
Max Reele
Jay Long
Jesse Cooper
Rick Jack
Andres Otero
John Schreiner
Jeff Worthington
Trent Hone

Trent Hone

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Gene Kim

Gene Kim

Gene Kim is a best-selling author whose books have sold over 1 million copies. He authored the widely acclaimed book "The Unicorn Project," which became a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Additionally, he co-authored several other influential works, including "The Phoenix Project," "The DevOps Handbook," and the award-winning "Accelerate," which received the prestigious Shingo Publication Award. His latest book, “Wiring the Winning Organization,” co-authored with Dr. Steven Spear, was released in November 2023.

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Dr. Steven J. Spear

Dr. Steven J. Spear

Dr. Steven J. Spear (DBA MS MS) is principal for HVE LLC, the award-winning author of The High-Velocity Edge, and patent holder for the See to Solve Real Time Alert System. A Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School and a Senior Fellow at the Institute, Dr. Spear’s work focuses on accelerating learning dynamics within organizations so that they know better and faster what to do and how to do it. This has been informed and tested in practice in multiple industries including heavy industry, high tech design, biopharm R&D, healthcare delivery and other social services, US Army rapid equipping, and US Navy readiness.

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Brian Beachkofski

Brian Beachkofski

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Max Reele

Max Reele

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Jesse Cooper

Jesse Cooper

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Rick Jack

Rick Jack

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Andres Otero

Andres Otero

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John Schreiner

John Schreiner

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Jeff Worthington

Jeff Worthington

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