5 pro tips for coding with agents and more

Name: 5 pro tips for coding with agents and more
Start: 2026-01-22T17:30:00+0100
End: 2026-01-22T20:00:00+0100
Location: Slagthuset

One evening and two talks together with factor10:

Just start (with Value Objects)
My journey with Domain-Driven Design began with confusion and skepticism. Inherited codebases built on DDD's layered architecture made me question the value of the domain layer, when all I saw were models being used to pass data between persistence and application services. After digging deeper into DDD, I realized how replacing primitive types with domain-specific classes reshaped my understanding of the problem space. What looked like a small coding choice unlocked deeper conversations with domain experts.

This talk explores how seemingly simple Value Objects became my unexpected entry point into domain modeling. Through stories from real projects, I'll demonstrate how Value Objects can be leveraged to build a richer domain model from the bottom up, incrementally introducing Domain-Driven design thinking without overwhelming teams.

By providing practical guidance and examples this presentation helps you to move past analysis paralysis and begin asking the right questions instead of waiting for a time when you have all the answers.

This talk is aimed at software developers at any stage of their DDD journey who want to see how starting small can lead to significant shifts in both code quality, domain understanding and collaboration. You will leave with lots of tips of pitfalls to look out for and improvement possibilities to explore.

5 pro tips for coding with agents
Agentic coding is full of promise! Right up until your AI agent derails your codebase for the third time in a row, that is. Spending hours fixing avoidable agentic coding messes is frustrating! That’s why I created TDD Guard: a plugin that helps you set boundaries for your coding agents, so they play by your rules. It gives you less chaos, more control, and a smoother path to actually shipping something useful.

In this talk, I’ll share some of my hard-earned lessons from months of building both with and against agentic coding’s many quirks. We’ll look at how to move from unpredictable outcomes to productive workflows by setting the right boundaries, using TDD in ways that make agents more dependable, and guiding their behaviour through intentional guardrails. I’ll also touch on things like, the value of dog-fooding and how containers and sandboxed environments help keep everything safe.

Whether you're aiming to strengthen your current setup for agentic coding or want to get started on solid footing, this talk offers practical tips you can start using right away.

Speaker:

Katharina Damschen - is a coding architect and consultant at factor10. During her 10 years in the field she has navigated complicated technical domains like train signaling and geotechnical engineering. She is convinced that collaboration and communication are crucial to solve complex problems through code. Katharina is dedicated to developing robust and maintainable software that delivers real value through the application of Domain-Driven Design (DDD), Test-Driven Development (TDD), and containerization. Outside of software development, she channels her problem-solving skills into practical pursuits like raising backyard chickens and crafting her wardrobe through sewing and knitting.

Nizar Selander - is a software architect and factor10 consultant who thrives on solving business-critical problems. A lifelong learner, he brings an ever-growing passion for creating quality, maintainable solutions through teamwork and a pragmatic approach. His current focus areas include Test-Driven Development, agentic coding, and automation. He is deeply engaged in AI innovation, particularly where it intersects with software engineering fundamentals and business value. He has built several of Sweden’s top-ranked websites in performance, security, and accessibility as measured by Webperf. He is also the creator of TDD Guard, a popular open-source tool for agentic coding with 1.6k GitHub stars and over 50k installs. Outside of work, he enjoys watching Formula 1 for its blend of innovative engineering, strategic collaboration, and speed.