Innovation centers help agencies transition to agile

GovTech Works reports that procurement officials in government are working to close the gap between traditional fixed contracts and the flexibility required in agile projects.

Some agencies have established innovation centers, conducting pilot programs and short-term contracts to help ease the transition into agile.

Bob Gleason, director of the Division of Purchases and Supplies in the Virginia Department of General Services, says conventional procurement practices focus on known solutions and avoid unknowns, which add risk and uncertainty to programs . . . It’s better, he said, to focus on the desired outcome, rather than on the detailed requirements intended to produce that same result, and to invite industry to offer innovative solutions the government customer may not have imagined on its own.

Read the full article: To do agile development, contractors should be agile, too | GovTech Works