Passing thoughts on Software Engineering with Agents

Since the end of last year using agents as part of the software development cycle has become a given for many teams. I’ve had the fortune to work adjacent to the ML/AI field for many years prior to my current role, and to use various approaches to automated software development as part of that. I do think that how we produce software has changed, and while I don’t think “code is cheap” (check your token bill), I do think the cost has shifted. I’m capturing a few thoughts about this here to look back on in another year or three.

• Feedback loops are tighter.
  • This is exposing areas of organizational dysfunction that had a release when the software development process took longer.
  • This means everybody is being asked to review more code while still doing their work.
  • Even if you trust the AI to code the team still needs the systems concepts and behavior in their head to move the project forward and perform support.
• Your company probably doesn’t have the stomach for token spend like the highly public projects on the internet. Plan accordingly.
  • I'm waiting for the on call reports of a system down fix looped blocked mid fixed by spend limits with no plan to increase the limit and it being "off hours".
• These tools when used effectively can clear the chaff from your backlog.
• Use agents to explore what you don’t know.
• Lean into “boring” technology for more benefits.
  • But also realize many “boring” technologies have unsafe defaults that make building in the agentic era prone to more security issues.
• Setup agentic workflows and guidelines early. Structure work so agents have clear goals and project conventions.
  • Setup work to keep the engineer in the loop. The machines don’t understand the broader organizational goals and horizons, but the team should.
  • What works for one person may not work for another. These tools rely on effective communication.
• Use the tools daily to know what does and doesn’t work. They are changing with each release, keep up, and dont get suck in transient practices that are now inefficient.