September 18, 2012 -- On the top ten list of buzzwords in federal IT is the term "agile." It has gotten so popular that some of the precepts of agile software development can get hidden. Today's interview is with a proponent of agile software development who has a remarkable military as well as academic background.

Tony Barrett is a senior management consultant for Management Concepts. During his two dozen years serving in the United States Coast Guard, he earned two Masters Degrees from M.I.T. He has applied that experience to federal IT projects. During the interview, Barrett demystifies some agile concepts like "product owner" and "scrum."

Many professionals think that the principles of Earned Value Management cannot be applied in the flexible world of agile. Barrett gives several ways federal IT professionals can follow the ideas of Kundra's 25 points which include advocacy of modular software development.