Building the future of government efficiency with proven practices

Building the future of government efficiency with proven practices

Stosh Misiaszek explains how agencies can improve their prioritization of value delivery to the mission.

Stosh Misiaszek

April 25, 2025 4:55 pm

3 min read

     

As the country transitions to a new administration, government agencies still need to serve the public and be able to adapt and deliver results efficiently to accommodate the demands of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). With government leaders at the forefront of mission agility, they have a responsibility to ensure agencies increase productivity, transparency and collaboration across their teams’ programs.

Some agencies like Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department may see an increase in funding. Others, such as the Education Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, may face cuts. Regardless, the American people expect the government to operate successfully, manage its resources properly and deliver outcomes.

To meet these expectations and tackle formidable challenges, agility frameworks serve as a critical tool for government leaders.

Scaling agile principles and practices across the enterprise give large, complex organizations a proven system and structured guidance for a better way of working. Over 20,000 organizations and over 500 government agencies and contractors across the globe use agile frameworks because they are effective, scalable and configurable. These frameworks enable agencies to replicate the agility demonstrated by small, high-performing teams across thousands of employees, breaking down silos and fostering collaboration. This ensures teams can align on priorities, deliver value efficiently, and remain accountable for outcomes that matter most to the public.

By prioritizing work based on the value provided to the end-user, the government and its contractors can focus on delivering results to citizens and our warfighters at the speed of need, rather than checking off completed tasks per a prescribed schedule.

In 2017, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division, which is responsible for delivering information regarding criminal activity to federal and local law enforcement as well as national security and intelligence partners, implemented an agile framework to improve the alignment, organization and expedition of its operations. Before this, CJIS’s IT network operated under a “waterfall” system that resulted in poor collaboration, incomplete handoffs and delays. By adopting a more agile framework, law enforcement and national security officials can assess risks and threats more quickly and enhance public safety for millions of Americans. This framework has provided the structure, alignment and visibility across its teams and leadership to improve criminal record retrieval, accelerate background checks and streamline secure communications.

The Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Enterprise is also using an agile framework to maintain superiority in the digital warfare landscape by streamlining its operations and modernizing its software development processes. Our soldiers need to move fast, transport information without disturbances and complete  mission-critical capabilities.

Through scaling their agility, PEO has reorganized the Acquisition Innovation Directorate to become a Lean Agile Center of Excellence. This has allowed the new Chief Information Office to set up audit requirements and establish critical guidance for organization-wide conformance, transitioning the Business Management Division into a powerful data-driven organization. By shifting away from outdated, siloed practices, these offices can better equip our military to address ongoing threats from adversaries and maintain readiness in a rapidly changing world.

Both entities value delivery and are ensuring teams aren’t just completing tasks off a checklist, but are achieving goals and assignments. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where government employees are empowered to innovate and drive meaningful change.

But efficiency gains aren’t the whole story. By implementing lean and agile solutions, government leaders can rewrite the playbook, improve transparency, and give taxpayers and stakeholders greater visibility into how resources are allocated and results are achieved. This is especially critical in an era of heightened public scrutiny and accountability.

Government employees and leaders need modern solutions to tackle modern challenges. Scaling agility provides a roadmap to transform how agencies operate, empowering them to deliver better outcomes for citizens, warfighters and all stakeholders. By embracing this style of framework, the government can move closer to a future where efficiency, adaptability and accountability are the norm, not the exception.

Stosh Misiaszek is the government business unit global lead for Scaled Agile. 

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