Software Engineering Institute

The U.S. Air Force has expanded its software divisions more than any other area consistently since the 1980s. The current Air Force policy through the Air Force Sustainment Center Way doctrine dictates that the efficiency and productivity of software development and maintenance are the factors of highest importance. Unfortunately, it remains difficult to evaluate with accuracy any metrics for the efficiency and productivity of these efforts. Furthermore, due to the evolving nature of the information environment, large-scale and small-scale programs have a hard time with sustainability.

In this presentation, an example program is analyzed for sustainability based on its lifecycle as it progressed through the Air Force's process of being developed and maintained over a full year. The metrics and process follow the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and Agile software development. By using both development tools together, the performance factors of efficiency and productivity achieved much better results. Using data collected throughout the program's lifecycle, this presentation shows which metrics yielded the best feedback for optimizing the process for the program. Statistical analysis of these metrics gives a deep dive into how the implementation of both CMMI and Agile work well for organizations like the Air Force to produce very adaptive, cost-effective software rapidly and with maximum efficiency and productivity.