For years, the US Department of Defence was the poster child for waterfall delivery. Locked gates, stage-based approvals, and delivery dates that existed more on paper than in production.
But now? The DOD has effectively banned waterfall by rewriting its procurement rules to favour lean-agile delivery.
They’ve acknowledged what many in our industry already know: that agility isn’t optional when the stakes are high, the domain is complex, and success can’t wait five years.
This isn’t theory. It’s law. And if the DOD can shift, what excuse do the rest of us have?
If you’re still dragging delivery through stage gates, ask yourself: are you enabling agility or just maintaining the illusion of control?