Covert Agile: Development at the Speed of… Government?

It is the late-80’s and the U.S. Department of Defense is rolling out a new state-of-the-art system for scheduling satellite tracking stations that uses a text-driven display and communication over serial lines. Now 15 years, three failed replacements and over 20 million tax payer dollars later a final attempt at replacing the crippled system gets underway…using Agile. This experience report will cover the challenges faced developing a critical application in iterations while satisfying the customers requirement that deliverables be made using the traditional waterfall lifecycle.