Over the past several years, I’ve had the privilege of leading programs, projects, and teams that handle all facets of software development and delivery for clients in the private sector, as well as across the Department of Defense (DoD) and various civilian and health sectors of the federal government. I’ve witnessed the evolution from the early days of waterfall development, to incorporating iterative and agile methodologies, and more recently, the rise of the software factory model—whether in physical locations or virtually, across the country or even globally.

Reading the article linked below served as a timely reminder that success is ultimately measured not by the tasks themselves but by how those tasks deliver business value, meet stakeholder expectations, and drive mission impact for users, warfighters or citizens. I particularly appreciated the author’s insights, especially considering his groundbreaking work in the DoD with the establishment of the first software factory at the U.S. Air Force’s Kessel Run. This initiative laid the foundation for numerous software factories across the DoD and even within Health and Civilian agencies, though some may not formally identify as such.

Some key takeaways for me from the article include:

• Don’t focus on paper outcomes…. Deliver real impact to users and missions
• Leverage commercial technology, keeping concerns on lock-in top of mind
• Embrace new concepts like continuous Authority to Operate (cATO)

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