DevOps and Agile Transformation for a UK Defence Organisation

Sunfish was engaged by a leading UK defence company seeking to modernise its product and applications team. The organisation managed predominantly COTS applications and was experiencing delivery delays, fragmented accountability, and limited visibility across development and operational workflows.

Vertical silos and overstretched staff, often juggling delivery lead, product lead, and application architect responsibilities, were slowing progress and misaligning work with business priorities.

Sunfish was appointed to design and implement a DevOps operating model that would unify development and operations, standardise workflows, and introduce greater clarity, structure, and performance management across the function.

The team faced slow delivery cycles and dependency bottlenecks caused by siloed structures and key individuals holding multiple roles. This fragmented approach hindered updates, reduced innovation, and created inefficiencies across the COTS estate.

There was no consistent cadence for planning and delivery, and collaboration across teams lacked transparency. Dependencies were not clearly mapped, and there was limited shared understanding of priorities or lead time expectations.

The organisation required a structural transformation that would:

Given the operational sensitivity of the defence environment, the transformation needed to be delivered in a structured, controlled manner while maintaining business continuity.

Sunfish designed and implemented a horizontal DevOps capability, merging development and operational teams into a unified end to end delivery model.

Dedicated roles were introduced to separate delivery lead, product lead, and application architect responsibilities, ensuring clarity, focus, and accountability. Product management and Agile training established a shared delivery language and embedded best practice across teams.

A structured PI planning framework was implemented, consisting of six two week sprints followed by a one week PI planning sprint. This created a predictable delivery cadence and enabled clear mapping of dependencies.

ServiceNow’s Strategic Portfolio Management module was leveraged to enhance cross team collaboration and visibility. Automation and incident reduction were prioritised to reduce business as usual workload and free capacity for innovation and change.

The organisation achieved a clear and measurable shift in operational performance. Delivery planning became structured and transparent, with a consistent cadence and embedded continuous improvement practices.

Lead times and cycle times began to improve steadily, while dedicated roles enabled faster and more focused COTS updates. Automation initiatives reduced operational overhead, increasing capacity for value driven change.

PI planning surfaced key dependencies early, minimising blockers and enabling more predictable delivery. Enhanced collaboration tools improved transparency and alignment across business and technology stakeholders.

“Sunfish combined hands-on technical credibility with strategic programme leadership. They were comfortable challenging existing norms while remaining collaborative and outcomes-focused. In a regulated setting where resilience, auditability and governance cannot be compromised, they demonstrated mature, experience-led delivery.”