Iteration instead of “cascade” – Newspaper Kommersant No. 192 (7393) of 10/17/2022

The Ministry of Digital Development proposes to change the classic “cascade” approach to the development of state information systems (GIS) to a more modern iterative one. It involves more flexible technologies that allow you to create systems in queues, quickly make changes to their functionality and release new releases faster. Such an iterative approach is provided for the creation of a GIS on a single digital platform “Gostech” – and this will necessitate the modernization of the entire contour of state information systems. Experts welcome the changes but warn of potential challenges, including those related to the need for greater freedom in public procurement mechanisms.

The draft government decree prepared by the Ministry of Digital Development solves two problems: it approves the provision on the Gostech platform as a single ecosystem for the development of GIS and at the same time amends the 2015 decree regulating the life cycle of state information systems. The project offers an iterative approach to the development of GIS, providing for the search for the most effective solutions for their creation, as well as allowing you to quickly make changes to the functionality and quickly release new system releases, Kommersant was told in the department. Until now, the classical “cascade” approach has been used for the development of GIS, in which the system is designed from start to finish, it takes a long time to create, and during this time it can functionally become obsolete.

Today, according to the Ministry of Digital Development, there are more than 500 federal and more than 2.5 thousand regional GIS in the country. The operation of the Gostech platform in an experimental mode began in 2020 and will last until the end of this year. It is assumed that from 2024 the work of government customers with this platform will become mandatory (see Kommersant dated September 5).

The proposed changes should speed up the introduction of GIS through the use of iterative software development based on Gostech. According to Vladimir Rakhmanov, First Deputy Director of FKU Gostekh, the “cascade” method, which has been used since the 1970s, has already lost its advantages. The need for more flexible approaches is due to the fact that technologies and functionality requests often change during the creation of a GIS. Usually the customer sees the results at the very end of the process, when it’s too late to change something, Mr. Rakhmanov adds. In his opinion, the proposed amendments will open the way for modern practices in the field of state IT: “Gostech is not only a digital platform, but also methodological support for the introduction of best practices from the field of commercial software development to the state IT sector.”

To reduce the time for creating a GIS, the Ministry of Digital Development proposes to legally fix the ability to do this in queues (provided that they are described in the concept of the information system). At the same time, it is possible to develop the previous queues of the system while creating the next ones. It is proposed to allow the commissioning of individual components of the systems on the basis of a test report before the issuance of a legal act, subject to conditions related to the protection of information.

Ivan Panchenko, head of the Russian Software Integration Committee of the Domestic Software Developers Association, Deputy CEO of Postgres Professional, supports the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Development, noting that public procurement mechanisms should also adapt to modern technologies so as not to be a brake on development. Konstantin Golovshinsky, Deputy Director of the HSE Institute of State and Municipal Administration, notes that the iterative approach can bring “excellent results,” but it is extremely demanding on the conditions for its implementation. The experience of its application in the commercial sector indicates the need to comply with a number of conditions. Firstly, a highly organized corporate culture is required – all levels of management, from top managers to junior developers, must be immersed in transformation processes. Secondly, it is necessary to be ready for operational coordination and interaction not only for the development unit, but also for the entire chain of promotion of new functionality. Thirdly, the regulatory environment in the field of public procurement should allow for much greater flexibility and freedom of the customer in comparison with that established by the law on public procurement (44-FZ).

Venera Petrova