Blog & Articles

Spec-Driven Development is Domain-Driven Design’s Impatient Cousin

Spec-driven development tools like BMAD promise to fix the requirements bottleneck that agentic development teams face. But is it actually a good fit for your organisation?

The right size of a Data Product

Setting the boundaries of data products incorrectly can lead to integration issues, unclear ownership and duplicated logic. This guide offers practical heuristics for creating data products of the right size.

Agents good in the end?

A story of unleashed productivity and mental load

Understanding AI Coding Patterns Through Cognitive Load Theory

AI coding assistants either severely harm learning or enhance it beyond manual coding—depending entirely on interaction patterns. A recent study reveals six distinct patterns with dramatically different outcomes. We’ll examine why through cognitive psychology and explore the study’s limitations.

Ein Überblick der AI-assistierten Softwareentwicklung in 2026

Birgitta Boeckeler (ThoughtWorks), Heinrich Hartmann (Zalando) und Sven Johann haben sich über den aktuellen Status der AI-assisted Software Entwicklung unterhalten: was ist wirklich Wichtiges in 2025 passiert? Welche stabilen Muster können wir ableiten? Was gibt Orientierung und Einordnung? Und natürlich ein paar Einblicke in den Future of Software Engineering Retreat in Utah an dem Birgitta teilgenommen hat. Die Unterhaltung gibt es natürlich auch als Podcast. Dieser Artikel ist aber eine menschlich kuratierte Zusammenfassung.

Features für einen schnelleren JVM-Start

Class Data Sharing, Project Leyden, CraC und mehr

Neuland reloaded

When Angela Merkel said in 2013 that the internet is ‘Neuland’ (uncharted territory) for all of us, the amusement online was considerable. Viewed from some temporal and substantive distance, one can now recognize a perspective from which she was indeed correct.

From Vibe Coder to Code Owner

AI agents generate thousands of lines of code in no time. If you want to fully leverage their potential, you can no longer review every single line – but you’re still responsible for the software. How do you take ownership of code you haven’t fully read? The answer lies in the agent harness: a system of deterministic checks, AI reviews, and targeted human review that enforces quality instead of hoping for it.

I sandboxed my coding agents. Now I control their network.

Restricting network access for AI coding agents with a proxy allowlist

Jeder kann Architekt sein!

Und jede natürlich auch. In diesem Artikel zeige ich, dass die Architektenrolle andere Kompetenzen verlangt, als viele annehmen.

Über AI-Einsatz in verschiedenen Coding-Situationen

Wo hilft LLM-gestützte Softwareentwicklung bei der Entwicklungsproduktivität und wo bleibt sie hinter den Erwartungen zurück? Anstatt KI in der Softwareentwicklung als eindimensionalen Produktivitätsbeschleuniger zu sehen, gehen wir diesen Fragen entlang mehrerer Dimensionen nach, welche eine Studie aus dem Stanford-Umfeld bietet: Projektreife, Aufgabenkomplexität und Popularität der Programmiersprache. Ziel ist es, ein realistischeres Bild für die Erwartungshaltung bei KI für Softwareentwickelnde und Führungskräfte zu schaffen, fernab des aktuellen Hypes.

Your Database Table is an awful API

Is database integration still a thing?

Let’s Not Normalize Insecure AI Assistants

AI assistants like OpenClaw promise convenience, autonomy, and increasingly personalized help. But beneath that promise lies an architecture that quietly combines private data, internet access, and exposure to untrusted content—the lethal trifecta of security risk. Sandboxing and physical isolation help, but they don’t address the core problem. As we add more capabilities, the potential blast radius only grows. This post is a case for slowing down, questioning defaults, and refusing to normalize insecure architectures.

Die persönliche KI ist schon da

Drei Wochen mit OpenClaw auf einem Raspberry Pi und ein Blick darauf, was auf die Softwarearchitektur zukommt.

What to Do While the AI Is Thinking

How deep work, multitasking, and code reviews change as we delegate tasks to AI

AI and Elaboration: Which Coding Patterns Build Understanding?

AI tools let you complete coding tasks without connecting new information to your existing mental models—a cognitive process known as elaboration that is crucial for building understanding. But some AI interaction patterns preserve this elaboration while others bypass it entirely. Let’s explore what elaboration is, why it helps with learning, and how we can use AI tools in a way that helps with this process rather than circumventing it.

Fetch-Tools vs. Browser-Rendering in Agenten-Setups

„Eine URL abrufen“ klingt trivial, kann aber innerhalb eines Agenten schnell chaotisch werden. Ein Teil der Verwirrung entsteht durch Dokumentation, die nicht sauber trennt, was die einzelnen Web-Tools eigentlich leisten.

Leave It Better Than You Found It

An Unexpected Architecture Win

I sandboxed my coding agents. You should too.

LLM coding agents are extremely powerful because they can run programs on our computers using our permissions. However, this same power also makes us very vulnerable. It only takes one mistake or one prompt injection to compromise the whole system.

Why not scatter @Transactional everywhere?

@Transactional — great when you know when not to use it. Use it consciously instead of sprinkling it everywhere!

Was, da geht noch mehr? Noch mehr Besonderheiten von und mit Java

From FOMO to Focus

AI is on every agenda – but where do you start? Many companies launch multiple AI initiatives in parallel, driven by the fear of missing out. The result: scattered resources, lack of prioritization, and unclear business impact. AI Opportunity Mapping provides a solution: it systematically guides you from vague AI visions to concrete, prioritized use cases with real business value. In five steps, teams develop AI opportunities in a structured way and make well-founded decisions. The result: focus instead of FOMO, clarity instead of chaos.

Speed vs. Skill

Every AI coding tool promises the same thing: unprecedented speed, effortless productivity, freedom from tedious work. The pitch is compelling. But what if feeling more productive and being more capable aren’t the same thing? Research shows that automation makes us feel more productive while eroding our skills. Let’s examine this tension through the lens of cognitive psychology.

Menschenlesbare Datenformate mit Jackson verarbeiten

Jackson kann mehr als nur JSON

Context Engineering: Managing AI-Generated Code Complexity

AI tools make developers more productive at writing code, but can overwhelm code reviewers with massive changes. Learn practical strategies for managing context in AI-assisted development to keep your code comprehensible, your reviews manageable, and your team’s productivity genuinely improved. Small scope was always good practice—with AI, it’s essential.