AI coding agents can write code fast, but speed without a structure is just chaos at scale. This workshop gives you a framework that makes AI a reliable, auditable partner: Spec-Driven Development (SDD).

You'll learn to lead an AI agent from high-level requirements through a detailed plan, a task list, and all the way to working software, step by step, with you in control at every stage.

The session is built around a single evolving application:

1. We'll start with a batch application that imports CSV data into a database - simple enough to understand end-to-end, complex enough to feel real.
2. Next, we will add more functionality by turning the batch application into a Spring Boot web service.
3. To have more fun, we'll build a web UI to visualise the data.

While the agent does most of the work for writing code, we will review and discuss the results.

What you'll take away:

* A practical SDD workflow you can apply on your next project — with or without the exact tools shown
* Hands-on experience directing an AI agent in IntelliJ IDEA through structured artifacts
* The confidence to add AI to your process without losing ownership of your codebase

Who this is for:

Java and Spring developers who have experimented with AI coding tools and found them unpredictable. Team leads looking for a structured approach to AI-assisted development they can bring back and teach. Prior experience with Java/Kotlin & Spring Boot is assumed; no prior experience with SDD or AI agents is required.