DART: an example of accelerated evolutionary development

Improving software development is an area of American national technical interest. This is especially true in the Department of Defense (DoD), where software acquisition and maintenance costs have grown dramatically and where failed software development programs can no longer be afforded. This paper explores the software development process that was used in DART (Dynamic Analysis and Replanning Tool), a user-interactive information system which assists military planners in developing and analyzing war plans for deploying large numbers of troops and equipment. The program went from initial concept to fielded operational system in 23 months. (Normally, DoD programs take between 5 and 8 years to get from initial concept to operational system.) This paper focuses on the parts of the development process that accelerated the DART effort