Anecdotally, what's described here would actually be unrealistically optimistic given the context of Government where I have entirely too much experience. Firs

Anecdotally, what's described here would actually be unrealistically optimistic given the context of Government where I have entirely too much experience. First, you can forget about having documentation of any kind or anything as recent as XML. Also... 8) Nearly everyone you need to interface with on the customer side is apathetic at best. More likely, they are plain adversarial for fear that the work you're doing will eliminate their jobs. A single person can plop themselves in your critical path and refuse to cooperate - millions of dollars or public safety be dammed - there is nothing you can do other than work around them. 9) You will need to coordinate with half a dozen other subs under the contract prime. Some of those subs will be unassailable due to pre-existing relationships. Others will depend on talent with a 10 hour time difference. One will suddenly be in charge of "testing" your code in order to generate more billable hours. You will be in a constant battle to avoid being used and abused by the prime to make up for the deficiencies of other subs.