Defense Contractor Revolutionizes Software Delivery Processes

The Setup

A government contractor came to Sketch because they were having some problems in three key areas:

1.) Scope is too broad

Not enough time to focus on quality feature delivery
Strategy and execution functions overlap
Predictability and alignment may suffer as a result

2.) Metrics are skewed toward quantity over user value

Feature-Point focus may be perceived as a measure of effort
Individual performance vs team delivery

3.) Significant distance between problem & solution

Unclear who is driving the roadmap vs who has influence
Limited interaction/empathy between user customers delivery teams
Lacking target market for fast feedback and advocacy

The Challenge

The primary mission was to help this client build the operational model, individual skills, and delivery practices necessary to become a more predictable software delivery program. We identified the relative lack of perceived purpose within the team as a primary driver of poor predictability and, ultimately, low customer satisfaction.

From there, the following working hypothesis guided the initial consultation:

Given a dynamic network of high-performing teams,

When the delivery teams are aligned on the product vision & roadmap,

Then [this client] will consistently deliver high-quality, valuable solutions.

The Solution

After the initial assessment, Sketch employed a broad array of strategies and services to help this client evolve its software delivery practices:

Vision and Roadmapping
Release Planning and Backlog Curation
Product Management Methodology Consulting
Leadership Workshops
Establishment of Business Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
Metrics Plan Creation
Leadership Backlog Creation
Leadership Coaching
Functional Enablement Team Creation
Ceremony Coaching
Role Coaching
Quantifiable Team Health Tracking and Capabilities Assessments

The Results

In only one quarter, the client achieved average improvements of 10-20% in each of the following categories:

Overall value produced from each product increment
Rate of on-time feature development before the target delivery date
Sufficient time (as reported by team members) to innovate and learn new things during each product increment

Making the delivery process more effective produced measurable outcomes in further categories, including speed to market and product quality.

In the course of this engagement, the team identified 15 near-term objectives, 5 core capabilities, and 9 critical program risks. All of the above were addressed successfully before the expected delivery date.

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Engagement Review

"This team can finally assign quantifiable metrics to capacity, engineering quality, and innovation. Between better progress tracking and implementing the Weighted
Shortest Job First (WSJF) prioritization method, feature delivery is faster than ever."

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