Author: OPTiMO IT

Meeting Federal Mobile Needs

Federal agencies face a growing demand for secure, reliable and user-friendly mobile applications. Getting there can be complex and challenging. Teams must balance speed, security, maintainability, and cost efficiency.

Enter: Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP)

That’s why, at OPTiMO, we adopt frameworks and tools that meet these needs, like Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP). As KMP gains momentum across industry, we have already embraced it as a strategic solution. After evaluating alternatives, we identified KMP as the most effective way to streamline mobile development, ensure compliance, and deliver high-quality mobile apps that meet the changing needs of federal clients.

What is KMP and Why it Matters

KMP is a framework and set of tools built into the Kotlin programming language ecosystem (created by JetBrains) that sits on top of native Software Development Kits (SDKs) and helps unify development across them. It enables developers to write the non-user interface (UI) portions of a mobile app’s code in Kotlin, which can then be compiled for both Android and iOS frameworks.

However, it is important to note that KMP allows code to be shared across multiple platforms (not just mobile), including iOS, Android, desktop, and server-side environments. The UI layer is built with native technologies (SwiftUI for iOS, Jetpack Compose for Android), ensuring each platform delivers the experience users expect. By maintaining a shared codebase for core functionality while preserving native UI, KMP allows for both efficiency in development and platform-specific design. This is especially valuable for federal clients looking to improve accessibility, compliance, and usability.

OPTiMO’s Approach with KMP

We decide what to share versus keep native, set up the project, build the shared stack, bridge cleanly to each platform, and support it with testing and CI/CD. Using this method, we seamlessly integrated KMP into our Agile delivery framework and quickly realized the advantages of a shared business logic layer. That layer reduced redundancy, ensured consistent performance, and streamlined updates. It also kept our Android and iOS applications aligned without duplicating effort and simplified testing, while still allowing users to benefit from platform-specific UI features and functionality. As a result, they experienced apps that felt fast, familiar, and fully native in their preferred environment.

KMP offers both Efficiency and Quality in Delivery

By reusing significant portions of code, federal agencies can accelerate development cycles while reducing maintenance costs by minimizing duplicated effort. This approach ensures parity across iOS and Android versions, simplifies the rollout of new features, and ultimately supports federal digital transformation goals and modernization mandates.

Building with KMP is like developing one and a half apps instead of two separate ones. You share the bulk of the core logic (e.g. – data models, business rules, networking, and security) across both iOS and Android, while only writing the platform-specific pieces, once for each system. OPTiMO’s unique approach cuts development effort by nearly half without losing the benefits of native performance and design.

Security and Compliance Advantages

KMP also strengthens testing and compliance documentation, ensuring consistent standards across applications. For federal clients, this translates into reduced risk and fewer security vulnerabilities stemming from duplicate codebases.

Federal Client Success

OPTiMO recently showcased the impact of Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) in delivering a modern mobile app for a federal agency. By using a shared codebase for business logic and data handling across Android and iOS, the team streamlined development while maintaining native UI experiences through SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose.

Our unique implementation of this led to a reduction in delivery time, simplified maintenance through centralized updates. The app met federal compliance standards like FedRAMP and Section 508, and was built for scalability, security, and offline resilience.

Example Mobile Architecture Explained

Presentation logic is platform-specific:

• iOS (SwiftUI/AppKit/MVC) and
• Android (Jetpack Compose/MVC)

SKIE (Swift-Kotlin Interop Engine) sits between iOS and the shared module, bridging Swift to Kotlin so iOS can use the shared Kotlin code like native Swift code. While optional in KMP, SKIE simplifies working with Kotlin features like Flows, making integration with Swift more natural.

Business logic is shared in KMP, organized into layers:

• Authentication (OAuth 2.0 / OIDC)
• Hub Web Services (Ktor HTTP client)
• Utilities (Koin DI, Kotlin coroutines)
• Cache (SQLDelight/SQLCipher)
• Settings are platform-specific: Device Keychain on iOS, Android Keystore on Android.

OPTiMO’s use of KMP demonstrates how modern frameworks, paired with Agile delivery and federal expertise, can accelerate innovation and improve outcomes in government technology.

OPTiMO + KMP for Future-Ready Mobile

OPTiMO’s use of KMP reflects its deep commitment to innovation and operational efficiency, helping federal clients modernize services while maintaining compliance and scalability. By embracing KMP, OPTiMO empowers agencies to build mobile solutions that are not only faster and smarter, but also more sustainable for long-term success.

QA & Testing Expertise that Delivers Quality You Can Trust at Any Scale

To effectively support agencies’ missions and drive new efficiencies, modernization programs depend on fast delivery and reliable, cost-effective performance. OPTiMO elevates exceptional quality above all else so that, regardless of whether it’s serving hundreds or millions, every solution we deliver achieves those requirements and more.

Our team of Quality Assurance (QA) experts help bring that commitment to life, ensuring every release is secure, compliant, scalable, and ready for audit. They achieve this through our proven, rigorous QA processes, all designed to meet the highest standards for performance, reliability, and user satisfaction.

OPTiMO integrates QA directly into Agile delivery, so testing and assurance run continuously throughout the lifecycle. This approach helps us surface and resolve issues early, reduce the cost of fixing defects, and manage delivery on time, within scope, and to specification. It also reflects strengths customers rely on across federal environments: proven past performance with mission programs, deep Agile expertise, and efficiency-driven automated workflows, as well as security and compliance discipline – especially Section 508.

Our proven approach includes:

• A comprehensive testing strategy across unit, integration, system, and user acceptance testing to validate components and full solutions.
• Traceability by design, with test cases and scripts built from customer requirements and linked in a Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM).
• Automation that safeguards change, using tools such as Selenium and JUnit for efficient, repeatable checks and reliable regression coverage as solutions evolve.
• Ongoing accessibility verification throughout the process, including Section 508 conformance methods and usability testing, so solutions remain accessible, compliant, and user-friendly.
• Performance, load, and security testing are incorporated into delivery pipelines to validate stability, scalability, and protection under real-world conditions.

These practices support programs that must cost-effectively scale, adapt quickly, and meet federal requirements. OPTiMO’s experienced engineering, testing, and program management teams bring decades of federal delivery, CI/CD fluency, and cloud proficiency across platforms such as AWS and Microsoft Azure. Customers gain faster feedback, steadier releases, and audit-ready evidence without slowing delivery.

How We Embed Quality Into Every Step

OPTiMO’s QA and testing processes follow a structured, methodical approach that supports each step of the solution lifecycle with robust practices and clear accountability.

• Engage and define: We collaborate with the customer to capture requirements and define clear acceptance criteria. These criteria form the foundation of the testing strategy and keep everyone aligned on what success looks like.
• Map and trace: We translate requirements into detailed test cases and scripts, then maintain an RTM that ties each requirement to specific tests. RTM updates occur continuously with sprint activities to preserve alignment as requirements evolve, ensuring full coverage from concept to delivery.
• Test, verify, and validate inside every sprint: QA and engineering experts execute unit tests as components are developed, identifying and resolving defects at the earliest opportunity. We follow with integration testing to verify that components work together as intended, using both manual and automated cases to validate functional and non-functional behavior. Automation frameworks and industry-standard tools such as Selenium, JUnit, or Azure DevOps streamline this work, supporting regression, API, and end-to-end testing to improve repeatability and coverage.

Why Cross-Team Alignment Matters
Quality improves when teams collaborate closely. OPTiMO’s QA and testing team partners with development and customer teams to keep information flowing and decisions moving.

• Shared acceptance criteria keep stories testable and measurable.
• Peer reviews and integrated defect tracking document issues, clarify severity, and align priorities across the team.
• Transparent CI/CD dashboards provide ongoing insight into progress and risk so stakeholders can act quickly and confidently.

That rhythm helps customers sustain momentum on large, mission-critical efforts – including programs that process high data volumes or serve large user bases – while preserving the assurance leaders need for governance and audit purposes.

Embedding Ongoing Verification, Validation, & Defect Management Verification and validation are central to maintaining alignment between technical quality and real-world needs.

OPTiMO treats verification and validation as continuous, cross-team activities that align real-world expectations with technical quality. Verification confirms the solution meets technical requirements; validation confirms it meets user needs under realistic, production-like conditions. We perform both throughout delivery and tie each activity to clear evidence.

• Verification (built right): Peer reviews and targeted tests confirm functional and non-functional requirements. We maintain traceability from requirement and acceptance criteria to test cases and results, so reviewers can connect each claim to proof.
• Validation (built the right thing): We exercise realistic end-to-end scenarios in environments that mirror production – data characteristics, integrations, and configurations – so results translate to operations. Usability, performance, and Section 508 accessibility checks are part of this routine.
• Automated regression & CI/CD: Stable, high-value user paths are covered by automated regression tests. CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitLab) run these checks on commit and surface fast feedback to developers and stakeholders, improving cadence and reducing rework. Our CI/CD automation framework integrates with leading DevOps toolchains to align testing, compliance, and release governance, providing flexibility for each customer’s environment.
• Defect management: We track and resolve issues through enterprise defect management systems such as Jira, Azure DevOps Boards, or ServiceNow prioritizing by severity and retesting fixes to verify closure. Each resolution links back to its originating requirement to maintain audit clarity and full traceability.
• Evidence and indicators: Dashboards provide real-time visibility into test results and defect status. We track indicators such as defect detection efficiency and test coverage to verify each release meets quality objectives and to guide continuous improvement. Additional measures such as test execution rate, defect density, and requirement coverage help ensure traceability and continuous improvement across each release.

Result: Customers see fewer regressions, clearer release decisions, and predictable progress. Each increment improves the solution without compromising what already works.

Test Environments that Reflect the Real World
OPTiMO creates test environments that track closely to production. We align data characteristics, integration points, and relevant configurations so results hold up when the solution scales.  In system testing, we validate end-to-end behavior, exercise performance-critical scenarios, and confirm accessibility with Section 508 methods. Because these environments closely mirror production, customers can treat results as credible signals for approvals and release planning.

This discipline matters when programs scale or must meet strict operating windows. OPTiMO’s cloud experience across platforms such as AWS and Microsoft Azure, combined with CI/CD automation, helps teams keep releases manageable while sustaining quality and uptime expectations. Customers gain a steadier cadence, fewer escalations, and a clearer picture of overall risk.

QA Strengths That Fortify Solutions
Customers rely on OPTiMO’s QA and testing capabilities for our blend of rigor and practicality:

• Agile proficiency that supports iterative development, continuous feedback, and rapid adaptation to changing requirements.
• Automation at the right level streamlines QA, reduces manual effort, and improves accuracy and consistency.
• Compliance-driven processes that treat Section 508 as standard practice and maintain conformance evidence for review.
• Experienced engineering, QA, and program teams with decades in federal environments who deliver secure, scalable, compliant solutions.
• Proven past performance advancing mission programs and meeting expectations across complex federal portfolios.

These strengths align directly to customer outcomes: predictable releases, easier approvals, and solutions that maintain performance under real-world load.

Quality That Builds Trust and Advances the Mission
Quality should do more than check a box – it should build trust. OPTiMO’s QA and testing approach gives customers confidence that each increment improves the solution while protecting what already works. Clear acceptance criteria, an RTM that links requirements to tests, and continuous validation keep the conversation focused on outcomes that are important to the mission. Section 508 conformance and usability checks ensure every release supports all users. Automation reduces rework and accelerates delivery, while CI/CD pipelines and dashboards keep risk visible in real time.

That clarity pays off for programs and stakeholders. Approvals move faster because evidence is ready and traceable. Releases arrive in steady, understandable increments, so teams plan around progress rather than disruptions. Environments mirror production, so results hold up when the solution scales. And experienced OPTiMO team members sustain the cadence federal missions need, adapting quickly, resolving issues promptly, and maintaining compliance throughout.

When programs demand reliable performance, clear governance, and solutions that can grow without sacrificing stability, OPTiMO’s QA and testing capabilities provide the assurance and predictability customers need. We integrate quality into everyday work, protect timelines with disciplined testing and defect management, and keep accessibility and compliance front and center. Our frameworks integrate seamlessly with clients’ preferred toolsets and environments, ensuring consistent assurance practices across any platform. The result is straightforward: high-performing, secure, and reliable solutions that meet or exceed expectations while advancing the mission with confidence.

Federal agencies today face growing demands to do more with less – modernizing operations, improving mission delivery, and delivering better results with fewer resources, all within increasingly complex digital environments. We frequently see these familiar hurdles.

OPT-AI is purpose-built to tackle these challenges. Our OPT-AI solutions empower agencies to accelerate their AI journey with a flexible, scalable foundation for innovation.

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At OPTiMO, we help clients rationalize their IT portfolios, and integrate commercial off the shelf (COTS) software, lowcode and AI solutions, to evolve what you have into what you need. OPTiMO drives smarter IT modernization that delivers: