About the Incubator
The Software Engineering Incubator is a bi-annual gathering held in Copenhagen. This in-person event is designed to foster meaningful and productive discussions among key decision-makers in technology and leading academic researchers. The primary goal is to facilitate the sharing of ideas and the exploration of new collaborations, focusing on creating actionable outcomes.
Event Highlights
Intimate Scale and Focus
What sets the Software Engineering Incubator apart is its intentional scale and focus. By keeping the event small, we facilitate genuine connections and in-depth discussions among peers who are leading and inspiring change within the Copenhagen tech community.
Open Dialogue
Understanding the value of open and honest discussions, we provide a space where participants can share freely. Adhering to the Chatham House Rule, we ensure that ideas can be exchanged without the need to attribute them directly, fostering a more open dialogue.
Interactive Sessions
Our discussions are guided by Liberating Structures, making sessions more engaging and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute. This approach is designed to make our time together more productive and enjoyable.
Outcomes from the First Edition
AI Adoption in Software Development
- Sustainability Concerns: Emphasis on the balanced adoption of generative AI, addressing user expectations and ecological responsibility.
- Adoption Speed and Integration: Varied adoption rates across organizations, reflecting a spectrum from full integration to cautious engagement.
- Development Profiles: Concerns about AI’s impact on the development of junior developers’ skills and the future availability of experienced senior developers.
- AI as a Tool: Consensus that AI should be viewed strictly as a tool to aid human developers.
- Future Potential and Education: The future of generative AI in software development is promising, moving towards more intuitive design processes. Education should focus on critical thinking and understanding the broader role of a software engineer.
Business-IT Alignment
- Barriers to Alignment: Barriers included premature technology adoption, large organizational structures, and the lack of shared values.
- Role of AI: AI tools, particularly AI-driven recommendation systems, can bridge the gap between business objectives and engineering processes.
- Consumer-Driven Impact: Business initiatives should align with consumer values and preferences.
AI Testing and Reliability
- Challenges with AI Outputs: Issues like the unpredictability of AI behavior and maintenance of code quality were extensively discussed.
- Enhanced Testing Opportunities: AI’s potential to automate and enhance testing processes was highlighted.
- Educational Needs: Developers need training in critically evaluating AI tools to ensure reliability and effectiveness.
Project vs. Product Development
- Development Approaches: Product-led development was favored for its long-term value and adaptability, while project-led development was critiqued for fostering short-term thinking and technical debt.
- Technical and Managerial Solutions: Suggestions included better initial planning, stakeholder alignment, and viewing fast project execution as a valuable product in itself.
Outcomes from the Second Edition
Scientific Foundations of Team Effectiveness
- Research-Backed Frameworks: Discussions were rooted in a seven-year empirical study on Scrum team effectiveness, identifying five core factors: responsiveness, stakeholder concern, continuous improvement, team autonomy, and management support.
- Evidence-Based Metrics: Columinity was highlighted as a key tool for tracking and improving team effectiveness through data-driven insights.
Strategies for Thriving Teams
- Responsiveness and Adaptability: High-performing teams demonstrated agility in responding to changing priorities by refining backlogs and prioritizing continuous delivery.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Encouraging regular, interactive Sprint Reviews and fostering continuous communication with stakeholders was emphasized as a means to ensure product value alignment.
- Continuous Improvement Culture: Teams that prioritized psychological safety and structured retrospectives were more effective in identifying and implementing process improvements.
- Empowered Autonomy: Self-managing teams were found to be more effective when they had decision-making authority and reduced dependencies.
- Leadership’s Role in Team Success: Leaders and Agile Coaches play a pivotal role in enabling team effectiveness through strategic support and alignment with organizational objectives.
Key Insights from Interactive Sessions
- 1-2-4-All: Facilitated discussions helped teams articulate their biggest challenges and collaboratively generate solutions.
- 25/10 Crowd Sourcing: Rapid idea generation and prioritization enabled teams to surface impactful strategies for immediate implementation.
- Open Space Technology: Attendees led deep-dive discussions into specific challenges, exchanging insights and best practices.
- Conversation Café: The event concluded with reflective discussions on actionable takeaways, solidifying commitments to practical change.
Actionable Takeaways for Participants
- Foster a culture of experimentation and learning to enhance continuous improvement efforts.
- Regularly align team objectives with broader business goals to improve strategic coherence.
- Implement structured feedback loops with stakeholders to refine priorities and optimize deliverables.
- Utilize data-driven insights, such as those provided by Columinity, to surface improvement areas and validate team progress.
- Encourage leadership to balance autonomy with structured support to maximize team impact.
Apply to Our Community
If you are eager to be part of a community that fosters university-industry collaborations and values open, honest dialogue within a safe space, then you can apply to join us. Your participation will place you at the forefront of discussions shaping the future of software engineering. You will engage with leaders in the field, share your insights, and contribute to meaningful advancements in technology.
Organization Committee
Daniel Russo – Associate Professor, Aalborg University Copenhagen
Paolo Tell – Associate Professor, IT University of Copenhagen
Alberto Lluch Lafuente – Full Professor, Technical University of Denmark
Peter Sebastian Winslow – Chief Technical Officer, Valtech
Contact Information
You are welcome to join us at the Software Engineering Incubator to contribute your expertise and collaborate with peers shaping the future of the tech industry. If you would like to have more information, you are welcome to contact me.
