Bryon Kroger, Founder and CEO of Rise8, who also co-founded Kessel Run, the Department of Defense's first software factory, delved into the complexities behind modern software factories. Despite early successes like Kessel Run—which revolutionized agile software development by integrating military and commercial expertise—many subsequent software factories struggled to replicate its effectiveness. Of those that did, the government struggled to maintain and scale their efficacy. In this insightful presentation, Bryon unpacked the reasons behind these challenges, examining organizational, cultural, and technological factors that hinder delivery. More importantly, he offered actionable solutions to realign software factories with their original mission of accelerating innovation for critical operations. He explored how to transform these entities to continuously deliver valuable software that users love.