tdd Archives - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

AI Assisted Coding: Augmented AI Development – Software Engineering First, AI Second

In this special episode, Dawid Dahl introduces Augmented AI Development (AAID)—a disciplined approach where professional developers augment their capabilities with AI while maintaining full architectural control. He explains why starting with software engineering fundamentals and adding AI where appropriate is the opposite of most frameworks, and why this approach produces production-grade software rather than technical debt.

The AAID Philosophy: Don’t Abandon Your Brain

“Two of the fundamental developer principles for AAID are: first, don’t abandon your brain. And the second is incremental steps.”

Dawid’s Augmented AI Development framework stands in stark contrast to “vibecoding“—which he defines strictly as not caring about code at all, only results on screen. AAID is explicitly designed for professional developers who maintain full understanding and control of their systems. The framework is positioned on the furthest end of the spectrum from vibe coding, requiring developers to know their craft deeply. The two core principles—don’t abandon your brain, work incrementally—reflect a philosophy that AI is a powerful collaborator, not a replacement for thinking. This approach recognizes that while 96% of Dawid’s code is now written by AI, he remains the architect, constantly steering and verifying every step.

In this segment we refer to Marcus Hammarberg’s work and his book The Bungsu Story.

Software Engineering First, AI Second: A Hill to Die On

“You should start with software engineering wisdom, and then only add AI where it’s actually appropriate. I think this is super, super important, and the entire foundation of this framework. This is a hill I will personally die on.”

What makes AAID fundamentally different from other AI-assisted development frameworks is its starting point. Most frameworks start with AI capabilities and try to add structure and best practices afterward. Dawid argues this is completely backwards. AAID begins with 50-60 years of proven software engineering wisdom—test-driven development, behavior-driven development, continuous delivery—and only then adds AI where it enhances the process. This isn’t a minor philosophical difference; it’s the foundation of producing maintainable, production-grade software. Dawid admits he’s sometimes “manipulating developers to start using good, normal software engineering practices, but in this shiny AI box that feels very exciting and new.” If the AI wrapper helps developers finally adopt TDD and BDD, he’s fine with that.

Why TDD is Non-Negotiable with AI

“Every time I prompt an AI and it writes code for me, there is often at least one or two or three mistakes that will cause catastrophic mistakes down the line and make the software impossible to change.” Continue reading AI Assisted Coding: Augmented AI Development – Software Engineering First, AI Second

AI Assisted Coding: Pachinko Coding—What They Don’t Tell You About Building Apps with Large Language Models, With Alan Cyment

In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the real-world experience of coding with AI. Our guest, Alan Cyment, brings honest perspectives from the trenches—sharing both the frustrations and breakthroughs of using AI tools for software development. From “Pachinko coding” addiction loops to “Mecha coding” breakthroughs, Alan explores what actually works when building software with large language models.

From Thermomix Dreams to Pachinko Reality

“I bought into the Thermomix coding promise—describe the whole website and it would spit out the finished product. It was a complete disaster.”

Alan started his AI coding journey with high expectations, believing he could simply describe a complete application and receive production-ready code. The reality was far different. What he discovered instead was an addictive cycle he calls “Pachinko coding” (Pachinko, aka Slot Machines in Japan)—repeatedly feeding error messages back to the AI, hoping each iteration would finally work, while burning through tokens and time. The AI’s constant reassurances that “this time I fixed it” created a gambling-like feedback loop that left him frustrated and out of pocket, sometimes spending over $20 in API credits in a single day.

The Drunken PhD with Amnesia

“It felt like working with a drunken PhD with amnesia—so wise and so stupid at the same time.”

Alan describes the maddening experience of anthropomorphizing AI tools that seem brilliant one moment and completely lost the next. The key breakthrough came when he stopped treating the AI as a person and started seeing it as a function that performs extrapolations—sometimes accurate, sometimes wildly wrong. This mental shift helped him manage expectations and avoid the “rage coding” that came from believing the AI should understand context and maintain consistency like a human collaborator.

Making AI Coding Actually Work

“I learned to ask for options explicitly before any coding happens. Give me at least three options and tell me the pros and cons.” Continue reading AI Assisted Coding: Pachinko Coding—What They Don’t Tell You About Building Apps with Large Language Models, With Alan Cyment

Lorraine Chambers: Using Experiments To Drive Agile Change, Lessons from a Test Automation Initiative

This story starts with an agile transformation featuring a shift-left initiative. The team faced challenges in implementing test automation due to unclear policies and time allocation. Recognizing the challenges faced by the teams, Lorraine engaged with managers and leaders, advocating to give teams the support they needed. Through that, it was possible to help the teams with guidance on Test-Driven Development and support in using an internal testing tool. When it comes to helping teams adopt new practices, Lorraine advises identifying policy and decision-makers, gathering relevant data, and proposing time-limited experiments for major changes, culminating in retrospective evaluations.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Lorraine Chambers

Lorraine’s vision of excellence is summed up in the words of philosopher, Lao Tzu — “A leader is best when people barely know he exists … ” She’s held several roles in the Fintech industry, including Product Owner and Quality Assurance. She’s a native New Yorker that loves travel, music and museums.

You can link with Lorraine Chambers on LinkedIn and connect with Lorraine Chambers on Instagram.

Chuck Durfee: Experiential Learning and Visible Results, The Power of Incremental Development and Motivation in Agile Transformation

In this episode, Chuck discusses his experience as a Dev Manager implementing a change process to help a team adapt to a new organizational structure. He started by asking developers to volunteer and assist in refactoring a subsystem using the “strangler pattern.” The subsystem was divided into smaller slices and distributed among team members. Chuck introduced the practice of running single test cases before release, allowing others to witness the practical application of Scrum. He emphasized the importance of experiential learning and leveraging previous successful examples to motivate the team. Their efforts resulted in delivering ahead of schedule. Chuck recommends explaining the holistic process and choosing demo-able increments to showcase the benefits of incremental development.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

About Charles “Chuck” Durfee

Chuck Durfee is an Engineering Manager in the Denver area. He leads teams to deliver quality software on-time and within budget. With expertise as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, he uses relationships, teamwork, and a pragmatic approach to solve complex business problems. In this episode, we explore his perspective as an engineering leader, and learn what makes a great Scrum Master from the perspective of the leaders they work with.

You can link with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on LinkedIn and connect with Charles “Chuck” Durfee on Twitter.

Johannes Lindman: Failing Safely, Tips for Successfully Implementing Extreme Programming in a Team Environment

In this podcast episode, Johannes shares his experience with extreme programming and test-driven development. Johannes recounts his experience working with a team where he assumed a lot of things about their needs and desires. He quickly realized that his eagerness to bring his own value to the table was getting in the way of the team’s success. Johannes learned that it is essential to listen and watch the team and to ensure that they are asking for help rather than assuming that he knew what they needed. He advises that it is essential to slow down, be humble, and not be pushy.

Johannes also shares several tips for helping teams to fail safely, turning up the volume on transparency, and showing small failures. He notes that it is important to reflect on what is happening and to determine if the possible failure is catastrophic or not. If it is not catastrophic, then it is best to let it go and be patient for the right moment.

The inspiring story of how a failing hospital turned things around with Agile and Lean

Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story – How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Johannes Lindman

Despite many years of experience Johannes still learns new things every day in order to stay relevant. This aligns with his curiosity on life and people.

You can link with Johannes Lindman on LinkedIn.