Agentic software development workshop

When an entire project is generated using AI and agentic development tools, the process can feel like a black box if you only see the finished result. This workshop opens that box without expecting you to become a software engineer.

We explain the development workflow in business terms, then demonstrate it on a working prototype. You’ll see where agentic tools help, where human judgment remains necessary, and why a prototype must not be mistaken for production-ready software.

The workshop is designed for clients taking the Co-Dev route. It generally isn’t needed for a Fixed Price Project or Continuous Monthly Development.

During the workshop you’ll learn how to work alongside 1902 Software on the prototype, make changes yourself, and understand how those changes move through the development process. You can work independently when you want to, or ask 1902 Software to make a change at any time.

Before the workshop (a day or two), the agentic development tool should be installed and configured on your computer. 1902 Software can help during a team call or, if you prefer, connect through remote desktop and complete the setup while you watch. The aim is to get the tool working quickly, so you can spend the workshop shaping the prototype rather than troubleshooting the setup. The cost of setting up the agentic development tools is included in the prototype fixed price.

The first session establishes the concepts and environment you need before making changes.

1. Professional development and vibe coding: Learn how structured software development differs from asking an AI tool to generate code without clear requirements, review, or testing. Vibe coding can be useful for exploring an idea, but the resulting prototype isn’t the finished product.
2. Local, repository, staging, and production: Understand where each version of the software lives and why these environments must remain separate.
3. A small agentic change: Watch a feature or interface adjustment move from a clear request to a locally tested change.
4. The staging handoff: See how changes from you and 1902 Software are reviewed, combined, and deployed to the shared staging environment for inspection.

We also explain how 1902 Software uses AI-assisted tools across planning, design, development, and testing. You can read more about our AI-assisted development process.

The second session turns the workflow into a guided exercise. The agreed agentic development tool (i.e. Codex, Claude, Cursor) must be installed, configured, and logged in on your computer before the workshop. That lets you make small test changes rather than only watching a demonstration.

1. Write a useful change request: Start with the business goal, identify the affected screen or workflow, and define one small, reviewable change.
2. Ask the tool to explain its work: Review which files it intends to change, what behavior may be affected, and how the result should be tested.
3. Update or add a feature: Make a controlled change to the prototype and inspect the result locally.
4. Pull, commit, and push: Practice receiving the latest version and sharing your own approved update through the repository.
5. Recover from a poor result: Learn when to revise the request, undo a change, or ask 1902 Software to take over.

These exercises give you practical control over prototype shaping. They do not turn a non-developer into a production engineer, and they do not remove the need for architecture, security, data modeling, integrations, testing, or deployment work, which is 1902 Software’s responsibility.

Once you approve the finished prototype, we scope the production build and give you a fixed price. If you approve the price, 1902 Software engineers, tests, and deploys the production application. When the work is complete, you receive the source code for both the prototype and the production application. 1902 Software can also place the code in your own repository. Read more about avoiding vendor lock-in.

The workshop fee is included in the quoted price for the initial prototype. The prototype price is set after 1902 Software has reviewed the project intake and understands what needs to be built.

You can include as many participants as you like. Technical knowledge helps, but it isn’t required. The workshop is designed so that the people who understand the business process can take part, even if they will not partake in the actual prototype development.