IPPS-A Update: Delivering an Agile HR System for the Army

Developing updates and features at the speed of need

IPPS-A Release 3 was developed using the waterfall methodology, which is characterized by a linear and sequential approach to software development. Although this approach provided structure during initial development, it limited adaptability and responsiveness to evolving requirements in production support. The Agile method, on the other hand, is a flexibility-focused model which facilitates segmenting and executing work simultaneously as well as provides the ability to quickly pivot to meet evolving priorities and requirements. Teams using Agile can ensure programs deliver value quickly and more frequently through flexibility, responsiveness, predictability, and efficiency.

Following the Army’s decision to transition the program to the Agile software development model, ensuring that the move went smoothly and did not interrupt or limit the needs of the system’s users was critical. With an eye toward the future adoption of a lean portfolio management approach, the Army selected a scaled agile framework as its base model. To make the transition to Agile effective and streamlined, the Army collaborated with CACI, the organization responsible for integrating and supporting the IPPS-A system.

“As a leader in secure Agile practices, CACI was excited and ready to support the Army when the decision to move to Agile was made,” said Mary Pollard, vice president and division manager for CACI. “Working together, we quickly modified processes; organized, educated, and trained project team members; and prepared the necessary tools to implement an Agile approach. With the help of CACI’s ASF staff, we were able to drive change quickly achieving notable results.”

Stabilized predictability, rapid development, and minimized risk

The IPPS-A road to Agile was jumpstarted in less than four weeks. Experts from the Army and CACI joined forces and leveraged CACI’s Agile Solution Factory (ASF) with tailored IPPS-A processes and tools to adopt a SAFe Large Solution model. What began as three Agile product teams in an incremental pilot evolved into the successful execution of six planning intervals for the Baseline Agile Release Train (ART).

Those planning intervals, delivered by 12 Agile product teams, helped IPPS-A lay a foundation and contribute valuable lessons for other Department of Defense Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO-EIS) programs, resulting in increased support from Army leaders for the method. Today, IPPS-A is running Agile at scale using the SAFe framework across 12 product teams with the following results:

• Significant increase in sprint velocity: Development teams increased story points per sprint by more than 50%, without requiring any additional resources and while avoiding either a decrease in quality or an increase in escaped defects. A steady sprint-over-sprint rise in velocity should continue as the teams continue delivering business value with functional enhancements, while tackling technical debt and improvements in testing and release processes result in multipliers over time.
• Consistently low defects after production: With an average of just one escaped defect per month making it to production, defects now remain consistently low thanks to the team’s focus on quality and improvements in transparency and communications across teams.
• Increase in stabilized predictability over time: The Army is now able to reliably predict how likely development teams are to meet their sprint commitments, allowing it to estimate capacity and ongoing work more accurately.