MAXWELL AFB-GUNTER ANNEX, Ala. -- -- In March 2024, the Depot Maintenance Accounting and Production System (DMAPS) Capability Development Team (CDT) requested Agile Coaching from the Agile Services Office (ASO) within the Business and Enterprise Systems (BES) Directorate’s Services Management Division.
DMAPS is a suite of software applications that support depot maintenance at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, Hill AFB, Utah, and Kadena Air Base, Japan.
The software directly supports organic depot maintenance production, materiel, and financial processes.
DMAPS’ request for Agile Coaching demonstrates their desire to deliver innovative IT solutions to warfighters and uphold the first of the Twelve Principles of the Agile Manifesto: “to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of valuable software.”
The ASO Agile Workshop focused on preparing and reinforcing the following aspects of a well-run agile program:
1.Writing User Stories
2.Developing a Definition of Done
3.Developing a Definition of Ready
4.Learning Backlog Refinement
In addition to providing general information on Agile principles, Agile coaching focuses on the needs of the individual or team receiving the information. In the case of DMAPS, the ASO Agile coaching team learned the DMAPS CDT was interested in many aspects of the Twelve Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto. Several of the twelve principles focus on the customer, but equally important is the health of the development team. The ASO Agile coaching team commends the DMAPS team on their desire to practice the following principles.
Principle number five: “Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done.” The DMAPS team is brimming with talented and motivated individuals. Their participation in the kick-off Agile coaching session enhanced the training and helped provide a spark for the instructors.
Principle number nine: “Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.” The DMAPS team is highly motivated to learn and perform best practices with respect to writing user stories, the definition of done, the definition of ready, and backlog refinement. The Agile coaching team was impressed with the willingness to work from actual DMAPS project artifacts to put into practice what they were learning during the workshop.
Principle number eleven: “The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self- organizing teams.” The DMAPS team impressed the Agile Coaches with their commitment to continuous learning, which was evident through their proactive embrace of change, consistent willingness to evaluate and improve their current-state processes, and their overall receptivity to new ideas and feedback.
Principle number twelve: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” The interest and desire to invite the ASO Agile coaches to the DMAPS kick-off meeting demonstrates the desire for sound Agile practices. The team has already scheduled a retrospective meeting to determine what went right, wrong, and where to improve for the future.
For an Agile team, the health of the team provides the catalyst to provide excellent service to their customers. A healthy team can then excel at providing the best continuous delivery of software and providing timely value to the customer. The DMAPS team is on a great trajectory toward that goal! The ASO Agile coaching team views the training as a win-win; the success of DMAPS enhances the missions at Depots around the world and is a sense of pride for the Agile coaches.