Hi, I’m Andreas. I started my journey at Jayway back in 2001, long before it became part of Devoteam. While programming has been a constant thread throughout my life, my passion has evolved from writing code to exploring how AI can be used across all aspects of software development. I often start my mornings at the piano, playing Bach, before diving into the day.
“I haven’t had this much fun since ‘95/’96 when the industry exploded with a lot of new ideas.”
Andreas Ronge, Expert Developer
Could you share a little about the research you are working on?
The AI Shift
My research specifically focuses on how to best use AI across several different use cases, mostly using AI agents. Figuring out how to have a lot of agents talking to each other… There are a lot of frameworks that handle different use cases. I’m looking into how to design a system for all the different cases. On a larger scale, how to design a system that can design that system.
AI, of course, is such a green field so there are so many things to explore. People don’t know yet how to use it in the best way, or all its potential applications. A lot of people are skeptical, for developers, there’s a real divide right now. People who are into AI, and people who may be a little more resistant, or maybe for some reason or another can’t use it (for example due to regulations and industry practices). So, it’s quite a big shift in the business.
I started working in ‘95/’96 and then the internet was such a big thing. I get the same feeling now with AI, but with an even bigger impact. It took around 15 years for the internet to mature fully. Around the 2010s when internet shops and everything else started materialising. I feel like this time it’s going to go much faster, and have a much wider impact… How wide is yet to be seen.
The Developer Perspective
For us developers, we have seen the true power and potential of AI. We are on the front line because we use it daily to develop things. We have to learn how to use this tool in new ways. I believe there are tons of opportunities to automate boring tasks, things that don’t really need human review at every step, so we can focus on more interesting work. The challenge is that those opportunities aren’t obvious. They’re hidden in different industries, in workflows that we developers don’t always see.
It’s really quite exciting being on the frontline of this new technology. I haven’t had this much fun since ‘95/’96 when the industry exploded with a lot of new ideas and frameworks. Things have been calmer since then and now it’s all exploding again and I’m really having a lot of fun with it.
How do you structure your day during research?
To structure my time, I have a roadmap for my research plan. I have targets so I can check in and track my progress. What are the pain points of my AI assistants: challenges, room for improvement, is this point solved, etc. And if I have solved something, I maybe, perhaps solved it for a lot of other people as well.
I’m writing my own AI assistant to handle my mail, calendar, phone calls, and all things related to admin and scheduling. I wanted it to do certain things at certain times and that wasn’t so easy to write, so I’m researching that process and how to simplify it. I think a lot of other businesses have similar problems. I’m looking at existing frameworks, and writing my own framework.
Whether it is immediately successful is uncertain. At the end of the road I will have a very deep understanding of how these agentic frameworks work and break.
So I try to stick to my roadmap and make sure I am addressing certain challenges.
What are the biggest challenges you encounter during your research and how do you navigate them?
Well, there are so many unknowns still, and AI is still such an unpredictable environment. You can do the exact same run and get different results. How do you know this is good enough?
So it’s about working with the added uncertainty that comes with AI. It can work 99.9% and then at that last 0.1% catastrophe. This, of course, has adverse effects on time management as well. Having to now account for this uncertainty, not just in the process, but also the planning.
What does a typical day look like for you as an Expert Developer at Devoteam?
Well, the most recent consultant role I had was with Gleerups, then we had quite a few stand up meetings. For that project specifically, we were lucky to have a lot of trust from the client, and therefore less ceremonious check-ins. This allowed for a lot more efficiency.
Can you describe a project that you’ve worked on and the steps you’ve taken to complete it?
One project that comes to mind because it was quite a special process, was from many years ago. We had a very productive framework. The customer was from the Netherlands and he would be on-site here in Sweden all the time, sitting beside me and sharing the requirements directly. I didn’t need to write down any notes to refer to because he was always there.
Another really cool process we had was with a different project where our designer also knew a little bit of code and made a functional mockup of the design with HTML. The customer could immediately see what it was, and then the delivery of the product from my side was quite straightforward. I had all the requirements and everything written and mapped out and I just had to program.
This was one of the most successful projects, everything was clear and the customer knew exactly what they were getting. One of the greatest challenges is communicating with the customer and understanding the specifications without any miscommunications or anything getting lost in translation between the customer’s wants and the technical ways of explaining those wants. So, at the time, having the functional mockup to use as a mediator was really, really valuable.
How do you collaborate with other teams or departments within Devoteam?
For example, when we work with UX designers, it’s a very collaborative process relying on mutual feedback and iteration. We really work together and figure out how to move forward as a team.
What is your greatest moment as a Devoteamer? How would you describe the Devoteam team?
I mean the reason I work here and not as a freelancer is because of the team. Having colleagues I can see daily, discuss different topics with, and bounce ideas off of, is really rewarding and truly the greatest part of being a Devoteamer.
Right now, since I am just doing research I don’t really have a team. But my colleague who sits near me, Frederick, is doing pretty similar research and we discuss a lot and push each other.
What is the best thing about your job?
Working with so many different projects and customers and domains is really rewarding. I learn new things all the time. There’s really no need for me to change jobs because I change assignments but keep the same colleagues. I get to have my cake and eat it.
Go Big: What does that mean to you?
Always question things, be inquisitive. It’s easy to take familiarity for granted and end up accepting things and having the attitude of “that’s how it’s always been done.”
If you push past that, you start to discover new and different ways to do things and you can challenge the way things “have always been done”
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a(n expert) developer at Devoteam – or in general?
Be curious!