Merging Agile/DevSecOps into the US DoD Space Acquisition Environment — A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

Over the past five years, with funding from the US Air Force and the US Space Force, SERC researchers at the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute have undertaken a series of case studies that have focused on the introduction of agile and DevSecOps practices into a space-based software-only acquisition environment. These studies have identified best practices and revealed useful lessons learned. While the initial baseline DoDI 5000.02 project was entirely waterfall-based, subsequent projects have introduced agile/DevSecOps methods in progressively increasing levels, with the second project consisting of a roughly a 50/50 hybrid agile/waterfall mix and with the current project consisting of an approximately 70/30 hybrid agile/waterfall mix effort. All projects exhibit similar code complexity and size.