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By Bryan Jones, QE Architect · 25th August 2025
The short answer is yes, but only when it's done properly. After working with dozens of public sector teams across central and local government, I've seen Agile approaches transform delivery outcomes and team performance. I've also seen well-intentioned transformations stall because they ignored the realities of public sector governance.
The question isn't whether Agile can work in government. It's how to make it work within your constraints.
Why agile matters for citizen outcomes
The whole point of Agile working is customer focus. Instead of spending eighteen months building the "perfect" solution, you build something useful in six weeks, test it with real users and improve it based on what you learn. Citizens don't care about your project methodology. They care about getting the help they need when they need it.
Case in point: a local authority that iteratively improves its housing application process can reduce processing times from weeks to days. A central government department that releases regular updates can fix user pain points before they become widespread complaints.
Agile teams catch expensive mistakes early when they're cheap to fix. They avoid the all-too-common scenario of discovering fundamental flaws during final testing, after months of development and budget allocation.
Building stronger teams through collaboration
Traditional waterfall projects create silos. Analysts pass requirements to developers, who pass code to testers, who then pass problems back to analysts. Each hand-off introduces delay and reduces ownership. Quality becomes an afterthought and testing comes in at the end when problems are expensive to fix.
Agile teams work differently. Business analysts, developers, testers and others collaborate daily from the start of the project. By ensuring you have embedded testing and quality assurance from the beginning, you catch issues early when they're still inexpensive to resolve. Teams share accountability for outcomes rather than just outputs, creating stronger ownership and connection to the end users they serve.
Working with public sector governance
Public sector governance frameworks weren’t exactly designed for Agile working. The need for accountability to Parliament, a risk-sensitive culture and established processes can sometimes create friction with Agile’s more flexible, iterative style of working.
These barriers are real, but they don't have to be fatal. Start with pilot programmes that demonstrate value within existing governance structures. Focus on outcomes rather than methodology. If you can show improved citizen satisfaction and reduced delivery risk, stakeholders will support your approach.
Consider blended governance models that maintain necessary oversight whilst allowing teams to work iteratively. This might mean quarterly steering group reviews instead of weekly ones or outcome-based reporting rather than detailed activity tracking.
Matching Agile to your project size
It's a case of horses for courses. If you've got deliveries that must happen within a month from start to finish, sometimes going through rigorous governance measures isn't worthwhile.
Whereas, if you've got a critical national infrastructure project, then you need a level of governance and cost control to ensure the project doesn't spiral. For bigger projects, you could use the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), which allows multiple teams and multiple streams of work to integrate.
But if you're producing a new report that will take two weeks to complete, you want to get in, get it done, prove it and carry on without worrying about frameworks.
Clearing up misconceptions
The Agile Manifesto's emphasis on "working software over comprehensive documentation" needs careful handling in the public sector. The keyword is "over" – working software is the final measure, but you also need documentation. That's crucial when you're talking about the number of systems and maintenance overheads within government departments.
Similarly, "customer collaboration over contract negotiation" was from a commercial viewpoint. But in government, you need contracts with third party suppliers to be right. They must have quality measures and governance built in to avoid overspend and ensure you get the outcomes you need.
Getting started: advice for sceptical leaders
Start by spending some time with teams already working in an Agile way. There are pockets of good practice within government. Go and see what’s working first-hand. Then, try applying Agile on smaller projects where there’s room for experimentation. Treat them as pilots or proof of concept initiatives. That way, you can build confidence within your team and see the approach delivering results in real time.
The key is to focus on outcomes, not processes. It's not about "this is Agile, and we're going to implement Agile." It's about "how do we achieve the outcomes we're looking for and how do we deliver a high-quality service for the citizen?"
When starting any project, make sure you have quality assurance embedded within everything you do, right from the business case through to post launch.
The pragmatic path forward
So, can Agile transformation really work in the public sector? Absolutely, but only when you approach it pragmatically. Don't implement Agile because it's trendy. Implement it because it delivers better outcomes for citizens while reducing your delivery risk.
The civil service doesn't need another transformation failure. What you need is a proven approach that protects your reputation while improving citizen services. That's exactly what well-executed Agile framework and approach delivers.