Agile Project Management in Government Software Development:

Addressing Challenges in Education Public Policy

Jos

e Silva

, Alenilton Silva

, Andr

e Ara

ujo

and Andr

e Silva

Computing Institute, Federal University of Alagoas, Av. Lourival Melo Mota, S/N - Cidade Universit

aria, Macei

o, Brazil

Keywords:

Agile Project Management, Government Software Development, Iterative Development, Government Digital

Transformation, Software Engineering in Education.

Abstract:

This article explores adopting Agile project management practices in developing government software solu-

tions, speciﬁcally focusing on Brazil’s National Textbook Program (PNLD). The PNLD is a cornerstone public

policy initiative that ensures the distribution of millions of educational resources to public schools, addressing

dynamic requirements and engaging diverse stakeholders. This study identiﬁes the complexities of manag-

ing public policy-driven software projects through comprehensive case study research involving document

analysis and interviews with project managers and stakeholders. Key challenges include aligning functionali-

ties with user needs, improving communication between developers and users, and fostering iterative feedback

processes. The ﬁndings reveal that while Agile practices have positively inﬂuenced the project’s efﬁciency and

adaptability, critical gaps remain in addressing requirements and stakeholder collaboration volatility. Based

on these insights, the article proposes a set of good practices tailored to enhance Agile project management in

similar contexts. These practices aim to improve responsiveness, stakeholder engagement, and process scala-

bility, contributing to successfully implementing dynamic and multifaceted government policies.

1 INTRODUCTION

Government policies shape society by providing

services, ensuring equity, and fostering develop-

ment (Mehr et al., 2024; Nayyar and Malhotra, 2023;

Achmad, 2024). Effective computational solutions

are essential for managing, monitoring, and optimiz-

ing these policies (Maksimova et al., 2022; Lima and

Ciasca, 2020), enabling efﬁcient resource allocation

and data-driven decision-making.

Public policy implementation is complex due to

multiple stakeholders (Balane et al., 2020; Silva et al.,

2024a). Government agencies administer policies,

beneﬁciaries receive services, and oversight bodies

ensure compliance. This ecosystem demands coordi-

nation, transparency, and accountability, posing chal-

lenges for software development (Bose et al., 2020).

Public education policies present unique chal-

lenges. Their business rules are intricate, fre-

quently changing, and must address diverse stake-

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0225-2696

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2989-3996

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8321-2268

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2399-7726

holder needs (Silva et al., 2024a; de Fatima Silva

et al., 2024). Developing software for these policies

requires adaptability to volatile requirements while

maintaining compliance with regulations.

Project management is crucial in software devel-

opment, ensuring structured planning, resource al-

location, and stakeholder communication (Alqahtani

et al., 2024; Silva et al., 2024b). It minimizes risks,

aligns efforts with objectives, and enhances product

quality (Zada et al., 2023). Iterative feedback fosters

continuous improvement, reﬁning processes and out-

comes to meet stakeholder expectations.

This article examines how Agile project manage-

ment supports government software for public edu-

cation policies, focusing on a case study of the Na-

tional Textbook Program (PNLD). It explores chal-

lenges, solutions, and Agile’s impact on project ef-

ﬁciency and adaptability. Additionally, it proposes

good practices for handling volatile requirements, di-

verse stakeholders, and operational complexities.

The article is structured as follows: Section 2 re-

views Agile project management in government soft-

ware. Section 3 presents the PNLD case study. Sec-

tion 4 details the methodology, ﬁndings, and chal-

lenges. Section 5 proposes good practices. Section

340

Silva, J., Silva, A., Araújo, A. and Silva, A.

Agile Project Management in Government Software Development: Addressing Challenges in Education Public Policy.

DOI: 10.5220/0013434800003929

In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS 2025) - Volume 2, pages 340-347

ISBN: 978-989-758-749-8; ISSN: 2184-4992

6 concludes with future research directions.

2 RELATED WORK

This section analyzes the state of the art regarding

the use of Agile project management in developing

government solutions, exploring how Agile practices

have been adopted to address the challenges of public

sector projects.

2.1 State of the Art Analysis

This section reviews ten state-of-the-art articles on

project management in public policy and agile de-

velopment in software engineering, highlighting their

contributions. These studies explore agile methodolo-

gies in various contexts, including the public sector,

assessing their impacts at individual, organizational,

and social levels. The comparative analysis identiﬁes

key convergences and divergences that enhance un-

derstanding of the topic.

A central theme is the structure of agile method-

ologies, particularly Scrum. The (Ciancarini et al.,

2024) study proposes adapting public administration,

introducing new roles and a sector-speciﬁc model to

address its complexities.

Challenges in agile implementation, especially

requirement volatility (RV), are also discussed.

The (Mohammad and Kollamana, 2024) study iden-

tiﬁes six causes of RV and three mitigating ag-

ile practices, emphasizing communication, stake-

holder involvement, and requirement clarity. Simi-

larly, (Dingsøyr, 2024) highlights stakeholder partic-

ipation, functional breakdown, and continuous com-

munication as essential to managing RV effectively.

These studies reveal that agile methodology extends

beyond tools and practices, requiring institutional and

human considerations for project success.

The impact of agility on organizations is also

analyzed, particularly in culture, collaboration, efﬁ-

ciency, and value creation. The (Baxter et al., 2023)

study examines agile practices’ interaction with in-

stitutional orders, revealing tensions, transformations,

and improved collaboration. Corroborating this, (Fir-

daus and Mulia, 2024) explores how agility is shaped

by institutional dynamics, showing its adaptation is

non-linear and culturally inﬂuenced.

The (Adeyinka et al., 2023) study quantitatively

assesses agility’s impact on IT teams’ well-being,

linking agile practices to job satisfaction, stress,

psychological safety, and engagement. In this re-

gard, (I Kennedyd et al., 2024) further investigates

how these elements inﬂuence project success.

Value creation is another key topic, distinguish-

ing between functional, personal, relational, and ide-

ological values. The (Neumann et al., 2024) study

examines agility’s impact on public administration

efﬁciency, work quality, motivation, and well-being,

stressing the alignment of agile practices with organi-

zational and individual needs.

Adapting agile methodologies is crucial. While

some articles focus on frameworks like SAFe,

others emphasize customization to organizational

needs (S

anchez and Mac

ıas, 2019; van Wessel et al.,

2023), recognizing ﬂexibility as vital for success.

Overall, agile methodologies can beneﬁt both

public and private organizations if properly imple-

mented. Effective management involves addressing

requirement volatility, adapting methods to context,

balancing institutional tensions, and prioritizing com-

munication and collaboration. The next section will

further analyze these studies, highlighting recurring

themes.

2.2 Discussion

The comparative analysis of the related works high-

lights distinct contributions across three dimensions:

Agile Methods Application, Focus Area, and Article

Proposal, as illustrated in Table 1.

In Agile Methods Application, most articles focus

on project management and software development,

emphasizing Agile’s role in improving coordination,

ﬂexibility, and delivery. However, fewer studies ex-

plore Agile in the public sector, revealing a research

gap in adapting these methodologies to governmental

challenges, including bureaucracy, regulations, and

stakeholder complexities.

The Focus Area dimension covers diverse priori-

ties, notably requirements engineering, agile scaling,

and IT team well-being. Requirements engineering is

central, ensuring Agile projects meet evolving needs

and stakeholder expectations. Agile scaling addresses

challenges in large, distributed teams, while IT team

well-being is recognized as crucial for project suc-

cess, emphasizing psychological safety and support.

These varied themes underscore Agile’s broad im-

pact.

The Article Proposal dimension highlights inno-

vative contributions. Some studies adapt Agile prac-

tices to different contexts, while others examine its

organizational impact on value creation and team

well-being. Additionally, best practices for require-

ments engineering and Agile processes offer action-

able strategies for improving project outcomes. These

insights reﬂect Agile research’s evolving nature and

relevance across public policy and software engineer-

Agile Project Management in Government Software Development: Addressing Challenges in Education Public Policy

341

Table 1: Comparative Analysis of Related Works.

Related Work [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Agile Methods

Application

Project Management • • • • • • • • • •

Agile Development Method • ◦ • • ◦ • • ◦ • •

Focus Area

Agile in the Public Sector • • • • • ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

IT Team Well-Being ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • ◦ ◦ ◦ •

Requirements Engineering ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • • ◦ ◦

Agile Scaling ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • ◦

Article Proposal

Deﬁnition and Adaptation • ◦ • • • • ◦ ◦ • ◦

Implementation Challenges ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • • ◦ ◦

Impact on Organizations • • • ◦ • ◦ ◦ ◦ • ◦

Value and Well-being ◦ • ◦ ◦ • • ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

Requirements Engineering ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • • ◦ •

Best Practices Proposal ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ • ◦ ◦

Note: [1] = (Baxter et al., 2023); [2] = (Neumann et al., 2024); [3] = (Ciancarini et al., 2024); [4] = (Dingsøyr, 2024); [5]

= (Firdaus and Mulia, 2024); [6] = (I Kennedyd et al., 2024); [7] = (Mohammad and Kollamana, 2024); [8] = (S

anchez

and Mac

ıas, 2019); [9] = (van Wessel et al., 2023); and [10] = (Adeyinka et al., 2023).

ing.

3 CASE STUDY OF A

GOVERNMENT SOFTWARE

PROJECT

Educational public policies drive socioeconomic de-

velopment by ensuring equitable access to quality ed-

ucation and fostering citizenship. These policies com-

prise government-led guidelines, programs, and ac-

tions that address educational needs inclusively, rec-

ognizing education as a fundamental right and a cata-

lyst for sustainable growth.

In Brazil, education is a constitutional right, with

policies like the National Education Plan (PNE) guid-

ing actions to expand access, enhance quality, support

educators, and reduce inequalities. Among these, the

National Program for Textbooks and Teaching Mate-

rials (PNLD) is a key initiative providing millions of

public school students with high-quality educational

resources. Managed by the Ministry of Education

(MEC) and the National Fund for Educational Devel-

opment (FNDE), the PNLD oversees the acquisition,

evaluation, distribution, and monitoring of textbooks,

requiring coordination among multiple stakeholders.

The PNLD follows structured phases: public no-

tice and bidding, pedagogical evaluation, acquisition

and production, distribution, and monitoring. The

pedagogical evaluation phase ensures that submitted

materials align with national curricular standards, em-

phasizing quality, cultural relevance, and inclusivity.

Committees of experts assess materials, provide feed-

back for revision, and approve ﬁnal selections for

school adoption.

Since 2020, the pedagogical evaluation has un-

dergone digital transformation to enhance efﬁciency,

transparency, and adaptability. This shift involves

software integration, process redeﬁnition, and cultural

adjustments to meet evolving policy demands. Given

the program’s complexity, involving government bod-

ies, educators, and publishers, digital tools aim to im-

prove collaboration and expedite evaluations without

compromising quality.

Managing large-scale public policy projects like

the PNLD presents challenges due to ﬂuctuating re-

quirements, regulatory constraints, and stakeholder

diversity. Effective management requires technical

expertise, strategic methodologies, and adaptability

to dynamic conditions. Agile project management

emerges as a viable approach, facilitating iterative

processes, risk mitigation, and stakeholder alignment.

This study examines Agile project management’s

impact on the PNLD, proposing good practices

for government projects facing similar complexities.

These strategies address changing requirements, mul-

tistakeholder collaboration, and the need for itera-

tive development, offering a framework for successful

public policy implementation.

4 EXAMINING PROJECT

MANAGEMENT IN THE PNLD

This section outlines the methodology used to inves-

tigate the application of Agile project management in

the PNLD case study and presents the key challenges

ICEIS 2025 - 27th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems

342

Figure 1: Methodological Approach.

identiﬁed in managing such a complex public policy-

driven initiative.

4.1 Investigation Methodology

The methodology adopted in this study, as shown in

Figure 1, considered a detailed and structured analy-

sis of the scenario described in Section 3. The ﬁrst

step was to deﬁne the scope of the PNLD to under-

stand the organizational structure, processes and ac-

tivities surrounding the project. It was also possible

to list the management tools used, identify stakehold-

ers and team structure, and the practices surrounding

planning and execution.

This was followed by inspecting documents and

artifacts generated throughout the software life cycle.

This activity provided a solid base of data and in-

formation, including formal records such as meeting

minutes, reports, user stories, requirements documen-

tation, and an assessment of the tools and technolo-

gies employed in the study context. Data collection is

therefore divided into different sources and perspec-

tives:

• Reports and Minutes of Meetings: Extraction

of information documented in ofﬁcial reports and

records of meetings related to the PNLD process.

• Tools and Technologies: Identiﬁcation of tools

and technologies used in the PNLD context to

support operations and activities.

• User Stories: Collection of narratives that ex-

press the needs, expectations and challenges faced

by users of the system.

• Requirements Documentation: Compilation of

functional and non-functional requirements iden-

tiﬁed during the document analysis and scope

study.

To further enrich the results obtained, we con-

sulted directly with project managers and area lead-

ers to answer questions and get a perspective from

the professionals who work directly in the planning

and execution of the PNLD. After collection, all the

data gathered was integrated and discussed to iden-

tify patterns, gaps and points for improvement in the

PNLD process and scope. In order to consider the

data obtained from managers and leaders, a content

analysis was adopted to structure and relate them to

the perceptions obtained in the previous phases and

thus identify the problems and challenges that hinder

the achievement of the objectives deﬁned in the scope.

Finally, considering all the analysis results, a set

of recommendations was proposed to be adopted at

the project management level to mitigate the chal-

lenges identiﬁed and improve processes and activities

throughout the life cycle.

4.2 Results and Discussion

Since 2020, the pedagogical assessment phase has un-

dergone digital transformation to enhance efﬁciency

and adaptability. This shift involves software integra-

tion, process redeﬁnition, and cultural adjustments to

meet evolving policy demands. Agile project man-

agement practices have been adopted to streamline

operations, but challenges remain in achieving pro-

gram objectives.

A key complexity in pedagogical evaluation is the

dynamic nature of each program cycle, requiring in-

teraction with external systems and multiple stake-

holders. Each evaluation demands speciﬁc conﬁgura-

tions outlined in the calls for proposals, making soft-

ware development highly intricate. This process in-

volves complex architecture, extensive requirements,

and ongoing stakeholder collaboration.

Given the ﬂuid nature of the evaluation process,

speciﬁcations must be continuously revised to accom-

modate changes in program guidelines. However, dis-

crepancies arise between end-user needs and develop-

ment team interpretations. To address this, the project

Agile Project Management in Government Software Development: Addressing Challenges in Education Public Policy

343

follows a structured routine of periodic meetings, en-

suring an organized and adaptable workﬂow. Table 2

details the meeting types, participants, and objectives.

Table 2: Periodic Meetings.

Meetings Stakeholders

Internal

Alignment

Project Managers

Checkpoint Project Managers, Requirements

Engineers, Client, Project Coor-

dinators and UX Designer

Demand

Tracking

Project Managers, Developers,

Database Administrators, Re-

quirements Engineers, and UX

Designer

Integration Project Managers, External Part-

ner, Client and Project Coordina-

tors

Business Project Managers, Requirements

Engineers, UX Designer, Coordi-

nation

Requirements Project Managers, Requirements

Engineers, UX Designer

• Internal Alignment Meeting: Brings project

managers together to organize internal activities,

ensuring that teams know priorities and chal-

lenges.

• Checkpoint Meeting: Involves a broader team

- including managers, requirements engineers,

clients, coordination, and UX designer - to up-

date the client on the progress of the demands

under development and welcome their feedback,

promoting transparency and engagement.

• Demand Monitoring Meeting: It focuses on

technical progress, with the participation of de-

velopers, database administrators, and other tech-

nical team members, allowing the identiﬁcation of

obstacles and necessary adjustments.

• Integration Meeting: Enlarges collaboration by

including external partners and coordination, fos-

tering the inclusion and alignment of all parties

involved in the PNLD Evaluation project.

• Integration Meeting: Enlarges collaboration by

including external partners and coordination, fos-

tering the inclusion and alignment of all parties

involved in the PNLD Evaluation project.

• Requirements Meeting: It is a space dedicated

to analyzing and deﬁning system functionalities,

always focusing on the client’s needs and the

project’s objectives.

Weekly meetings, sometimes held more fre-

quently, ensure continuous communication, rapid is-

sue resolution, and efﬁcient decision-making—key

principles of agile projects. This structured approach

enhances development success and stakeholder satis-

faction.

To better understand team interactions, project

managers were consulted, revealing critical insights.

Initially, a traditional management approach with

rigid processes and long deadlines hindered adapt-

ability, limited communication, and caused role am-

biguity, reducing efﬁciency.

With the shift to Scrum-based agile methods, the

project adopted ﬂexible, iterative cycles focused on

incremental deliveries and continuous improvement.

Regular meetings and feedback improved alignment

and problem-solving, while short Sprints enabled

quick adjustments and added immediate value.

Technological tools further supported workﬂow

management. Monday.com streamlined task tracking,

and GitLab facilitated version control, enhancing col-

laboration and ensuring timely, high-quality deliver-

ies.

Based on these issues, the main challenges faced

in software development have been identiﬁed, which

are detailed and analyzed in the following section.

4.2.1 Challenges Identiﬁed

Through discussions with project managers, various

challenges were identiﬁed, encompassing technical,

functional, and organizational aspects of system de-

velopment. These challenges highlighted issues such

as aligning functionalities with users’ real needs, the

system’s efﬁciency and impact on daily operations,

technological and functional constraints, and difﬁ-

culties related to communication, collaboration, and

adopting Agile practices. These challenges were thor-

oughly analyzed from the managers’ perspectives,

providing detailed insights into the primary obstacles

encountered. This analysis served as the foundation

for proposing a set of best practices aimed at enhanc-

ing project management effectiveness.

• Matching Functionalities to Needs: The man-

agers stressed that, due to the dynamism of the

project, although the system used meets profes-

sional needs, with relevant functionalities aligned

with daily work, there is still a considerable fre-

quency in which functionalities become insufﬁ-

cient, obsolete or do not fully meet expectations.

• Communication and Collaboration: Communi-

cation failures between developers and users were

highlighted, resulting in functionalities that do not

meet real demands.

ICEIS 2025 - 27th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems

344

Figure 2: Good Practices Proposal.

• Iteration and Feedback: They pointed out that,

although agile practices are adopted, development

still seems to follow a traditional model, with little

room for changes based on continuous feedback.

5 GOOD PRACTICES PROPOSAL

The good practices proposal builds on case study re-

search, including stakeholder interviews and process

analyses. The study identiﬁed strengths, challenges,

and impacts of current methodologies, revealing ar-

eas for improvement.

Government projects supporting public policies

are inherently complex, requiring adaptable manage-

ment to handle evolving requirements, regulations,

and diverse stakeholders. While agile methods have

improved processes, gaps remain in managing volatil-

ity, enhancing collaboration, and scaling practices.

To address these issues, we propose a set of good

practices (Figure 2) aimed at optimizing project man-

agement in dynamic, multi-stakeholder public policy

initiatives.

• Matching Functionalities to Needs

Continuous User Engagement: Establish regu-

lar check-ins with end-users to ensure functionalities

align with their evolving needs. This can include bi-

weekly review meetings or user surveys.

In the PNLD context, maintaining proximity to di-

verse end-users is essential. Regular check-ins via

usability surveys, workshops, and online consulta-

tions ensure continuous engagement, even with re-

mote users, and help minimize obsolete functionali-

ties.

Prioritize User Stories: Use a well-maintained

backlog where user stories are detailed, prioritized,

and reﬁned with direct input from stakeholders.

The PNLD evaluation platform’s backlog should

efﬁciently manage requirements, balancing tasks

based on dynamics, changes, urgency, and stake-

holder perspectives. Involving stakeholders ensures

collaborative reﬁnement, focusing updates on the

most relevant needs.

Prototyping and Validation: Develop prototypes

or Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) for critical

functionalities, allowing users to validate features

early in development.

Although the PNLD uses agile practices, it still

follows traditional methods that make users reactive.

Prototypes or MVPs for critical features, like the pub-

lisher submission interface, should be tested and vali-

dated before release. Deﬁning testing phases for func-

tionality and usability is key to improving efﬁciency

and reducing errors.

Dynamic Requirements Management: Incorpo-

rate tools like Kanban boards or backlog grooming

sessions to handle changes effectively and keep func-

tionalities relevant.

The PNLD operates in a dynamic context with

frequent changes. Kanban boards can be used for

real-time task monitoring and priority adjustments.

Regular backlog reﬁnement sessions can incorporate

feedback, ensuring agile adaptation to new demands

and mitigating requirement volatility.

• Communication and Collaboration

Cross-Functional Teams: Foster collaboration

by involving developers, users, and stakeholders in

sprint planning and review meetings.

The PNLD lifecycle’s complexity affects the pub-

lic policy and its supporting systems. Collaboration in

sprint planning and review meetings is essential to in-

corporate diverse perspectives. Enhancing teamwork

with cross-functional teams is key to optimizing pro-

cesses and improving deliverables.

Regular Communication Channels: Set up

structured yet ﬂexible communication tools like Slack

Agile Project Management in Government Software Development: Addressing Challenges in Education Public Policy

345

or Microsoft Teams for instant feedback and issue

tracking.

Establishing structured communication channels

is crucial for managing the dynamic nature of the

PNLD and its diverse stakeholders. Tools like Slack

or Microsoft Teams can enhance the ﬂow of infor-

mation between teams and end-users, enabling quick

feedback, issue tracking, and real-time discussions on

adjustments.

Empathy Mapping Workshops: Conduct ses-

sions to better understand user pain points and expec-

tations, helping developers align their work with user

demands.

Understanding operational and end-user perspec-

tives is key to identifying challenges with the evalua-

tion platform. Workshops can help uncover difﬁcul-

ties and disengagement, ensuring the platform aligns

with users’ needs. For the PNLD, listening networks

are essential to align user demands with developer pri-

orities.

Stakeholder Transparency: Maintain visible

dashboards to share progress and decisions with all

stakeholders, reducing miscommunication.

Maintaining visible dashboards that share

progress and key decisions with PNLD stakeholders

promotes transparency, optimizes decision-making,

and adds value to project management. For example,

a dashboard showing update statuses ensures stake-

holders know what to expect and when, reducing

communication issues.

• Iteration and Feedback

Frequent Deliverables: Break down deliverables

into smaller increments with shorter iteration cycles

(e.g., 1-2 week sprints) to enable frequent reviews and

feedback.

Adopting strategies that keep pace with the

PNLD’s dynamic needs helps reduce errors and en-

sures the system adapts quickly to real-world usage.

This approach aligns functionalities with educators’

expectations, minimizes outdated features, and en-

hances stakeholder trust through consistent progress

and short-cycle value delivery.

Automated Feedback Mechanisms: Use tools to

collect user feedback continuously, such as feedback

widgets integrated into the system or surveys post-

deployment.

Integrating automated feedback mechanisms in

PNLD Evaluation can provide insights into how users

interact with the platform. Features like a feedback

widget and post-implementation surveys allow users

to express satisfaction and highlight areas for im-

provement.

Automated usage analysis can reveal patterns,

such as difﬁculty ﬁnding information or long wait

times, helping the development team identify is-

sues. This data-driven approach fosters continuous

improvement, ensuring the platform meets user needs

effectively.

Sprint Retrospectives: Conduct thorough sprint

retrospectives, focusing on lessons learned and im-

provements for the next cycle, to enhance the quality

of feedback.

Sprint retrospectives in PNLD Evaluation help im-

prove software features by aligning solutions with

user needs and program objectives. They provide op-

portunities to discuss usability, plan enhancements,

and incorporate feedback, ensuring efﬁcient, intuitive,

and user-aligned development.

Agile Mindset Training: Educate teams on

adopting an iterative mindset, emphasizing adaptabil-

ity and openness to feedback-based change.

Building an agile organizational culture is crucial

for optimizing the development cycle of the evalua-

tion platform. It helps adapt to dynamic needs and

promotes solutions that focus on stakeholders. Con-

tinuous team training, collaborative problem-solving,

and emphasis on user value are key to this mindset.

In the PNLD Evaluation context, this approach

boosts team collaboration, improves development ef-

ﬁciency, and enhances the program’s responsive-

ness to user demands, leading to a better experience

aligned with educational goals.

6 CONCLUSIONS

This study investigated the application of Agile

project management practices in developing and man-

aging government software solutions, using the Na-

tional Textbook Program (PNLD) as a case study.

PNLD exempliﬁes the complexity of public policy-

driven projects, where dynamic requirements, diverse

stakeholders, and large-scale operations demand

adaptable and efﬁcient methodologies. We identiﬁed

signiﬁcant challenges through detailed analyses and

interviews, including aligning system functionalities

with user needs, addressing communication gaps, and

fostering a truly iterative feedback process.

While evidence demonstrates that adopting Ag-

ile practices has brought improvements, particularly

in process efﬁciency and adaptability, persistent gaps

highlight the need for more focused interventions.

These gaps underscore the importance of continuous

user engagement, transparent communication, and it-

erative feedback mechanisms to ensure that the solu-

tions developed remain relevant and impactful.

To address these issues, this article proposed a set

of good practices designed to mitigate the identiﬁed

ICEIS 2025 - 27th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems

346

challenges and enhance Agile project management in

similar contexts. By adopting these practices, govern-

ment projects can better navigate the inherent com-

plexities of public policy initiatives, improving out-

comes and delivering value to stakeholders. Future

research should explore the longitudinal impacts of

these practices to reﬁne methodologies further and

contribute to the broader discourse on Agile practices

in government software projects.

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