I've had this article in my reader since it came out in 2020. It's in my "constant re-read rotation" primarily because it has rich detail on a few practices that run against my grain. It's also one of the most thorough reviews of an organization's structure and ways of working that I've ever seen.
Have a look!
Why does DARPA work?
🤖🖥🛰🔬💡🤔
Opacity enables outlier successes
My "normal" stance on transparency vs. opacity is something like, "most organizations have less internal transparency than they need, leading to mistrust, CYA-ing, and hours spent 'finding the truth' instead of 'getting important things done.'"
The opposite at DARPA:
