1

Lt Col Jeremiah Sanders

AOC WS Program Manager

aka AOC Pathfinder

2

theimpetusforKR Core Operational Problem: Traditional software development and acquisitions cannot keep

pace with changes in ops concepts or advances in technology. Commanders desire rapid development of new capabilities for the current fight and to outpace near-peer competitors.

Root Cause: DoD Decision Support Systems (PPBE, JCIDS & DAS) and culture are flawed:

Assume and are optimized for a fantasy world of certainty and stability

Measure & value outputs, not outcomes...we don’t know if we’re building the right thing!

Hypothesis: Lean Agile software development, DevOps IT/culture, and Lean Startup entrepreneurial management methods/culture are collectively optimized for valuable outcomes and accountability in conditions of extreme uncertainty

Experiment: AOC Pathfinder - AOC PMO, Defense Digital Service (DDS) and Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) partnership to prove these methods can get valuable software released faster, with higher quality, greater security, and reduced risk

Lean Agile + Lean Startup = maneuver warfare for acquisitions…overcomes “fog” and

“friction” of 21st century technology

Agile Development = Experimentation in OpsDeveloping hypotheses based on user research

Validating solutions based on user testing

The fuzzy front end

PMO + finance

water-

The last mile

Centralized QA IT Operations fall-

Iteration

“Agile” teams

scrum-

Study & Approval Design & planning

Analysis

Development

Test & Showcase

0 1 2 3 4

Integration & QA Release & Operation

@jezhumble

notagile

Agile Litmus Tests:

1) When was the last time you

deployed software into ops?

2) What did you learn?

3) How do you know?

4) What is your cycle time?

Awarded a contract in 60 days

Deployed unclass, off-premise PCF DevOps environment on AWS in 60

days

Fielded accredited SIPR cloud-native DevOps platform at 609 CAOC in

under 130 days; replicated at Shaw

Took 5 applications from concept through UNCLASS development and into

operations on SIPR in an average of 124 days

First DoD organization to achieve Continuous Delivery to SIPRNet: ~10 new

features to real-world ops per app/per week; can push to SIPR <1hr

First DoD organization to achieve “Continuous Authority to Operate” due to

automation of security controls

Initial applications saving over $6.4M and 1,100 man-hours of previously

manual and error-prone effort per month in 609 CAOC, Al Udeid Air Base;

working to expand across AOC Enterprise5

krsuccesses

6

Planned for CY18

In Development

In Production

Deferred

Objectives, Effects, and Guidance

Target Development

Weaponeering and Allocation

ATO Production and Dissemination

Execution Planning and Force Execution

Assessment

Contingency Planning

Crisis Action Planning

Campaign Planning

Joint Targeting Toolbox

MISREP Analysis

Tool

Battle Damage

Assessment Tool

Target Production Manager

Tanker Planning Toolkit

Dynamic Targeting

Tool

Strategy Planning

Tool

ATO Production

IAMD Planner

Worldwide Tanker

Allocation Tool

RAVEN - Target Production Manager

JIGSAW – Tanker Planning Toolkit

CHAINSAW – Dynamic Targeting

MARAUDER – MAT Replacement

MAAP CAS Planner

RSTA Annex Planner

Continuously delivering war-winning software our Airmen LOVE

Common Asset View

KesselRun

7

JCIDS

PPB&EDAS

• Value Stream Mapping

• Impact Mapping

• Estimate Dev Capacity req’d

• Size platform needs

• PPB&E on Product Teams &

Platforms

• FAR Part 13 for any contracted

support

• Production OT for cloud platform

• Modular contracting for

Toolchains / COTSMitigate risk through metered funding

Allocate funding via growth boards

Growth boards hold product teams accountable for

achieving JCIDS defined impacts

agileeverything

• Automated DT/OT

• Automated Security/ATO

• Automated Fielding

VALUE

STREAM

MAPPING IMPACT

MAPPING

OPPORTUNITY

BACKLOG VaDER

SPRINT

PRODUCT

SCOPING DISCOVERY

& FRAMING

INCEPTION

ONGOING

• ID Current

Conditions

• ID Improvement

Opportunities

• Objectives &

Key Results

(OKRs)

• ID Target

Condition

• Key

Performance

Indicators

(KPIs)

• Prioritized,

validated

Backlog

• Derisking

analysis to

scoping

growth board

• Product team

resource

allocation

• Prioritized

backlog

• ID Solution

Hypothesis

• D&F Review

• Development

Kickoff

• First “Push to

Prod”

MARAUDER

TPMRIPSAWCHAINSAW

ARCSLAPSHOT

JIGSAW

ITERATIONS

TESTABLE USEABLE USEFUL JOYFUL

• Beta Test • Initial User

Adoption

• User

Adoption

• Legacy

Sunset

thekesselrun

IAMD Planner

ONGOING ONGOING < 30 DAYS 2-3 HOURS 4-6 WEEKS 1 DAY ONGOING

KICKOFF

GROWTH

BOARD

INCEPTION

GROWTH

BOARD

LAUNCH

GROWTH

BOARD

FIRST VALUE

GROWTH

BOARD

FASTEST TIME THROUGH THE KESSEL RUN = 88 DAYS

ACC ACC & Kessel Run Kessel Run

Current Products:

VADER

SPRINT

REVIEW

JCIDS PPBE DAS

lessonslearned We’ve validated you can get valuable software released faster, with higher quality, better

security, and reduced risk

Lean Startup entrepreneurial management methodologies and culture are optimized for success and accountability in conditions of extreme uncertainty; huge opportunity to champion a better way of meeting warfighting needs

Culture and talent management are our biggest challenges to reaching digital transformation

Our knowledge of traditional technologies, development methodologies and Taylor-inspired industrial/general management systems are a liability

Achieving Continuous Delivery is the first big step; without it agile has not manifested

Digital Transformation will take time

No easy button for the fundamental technology and architecture shift required

Definitely no easy button for culture change and the org/train/equip function

Two key resources have informed Kessel Run’s learning:

The Startup Way, by Eric Ries

Lean Enterprise, by Jez Humble et al

Delivering…Continuously