Keynote: Myths of Software Management & AI+HR, by Craig Larman co-creator of LeSS

🏗️ What are the biggest myths in software management, and how do they shape the way organizations design teams, architecture, and change?

In this keynote, Craig Larman connects several years of LeSS conference thinking into one provocative talk. He reflects on themes such as ownership of change, evidence and management advice, human psychology in collaboration, and the growing impact of AI on product development and HR. He then turns to the main theme of the session: one of the most misunderstood ideas in software management, Conway’s Law.

💡 What’s inside:

• Why successful change depends on people wanting the change, not being pushed into it
• Why much management advice lacks strong scientific evidence
• How AI may reduce the need for narrow single-specialist roles
• Why multi-learning product developers may become even more important in an AI-shaped future
• What Conway’s Law actually says, based on the original paper
• Why Conway’s advice points toward flexibility, not locking teams to architecture
• How popular ideas like “inverse Conway maneuver” and “reverse Conway” drifted away from the original meaning
• Why feature teams, shared code, and flexible organizations fit better with adaptiveness at scale
• Examples of common software management myths shared by participants

This is a thoughtful and challenging talk for leaders, coaches, managers, and practitioners who want to look beyond popular slogans and examine the assumptions behind software management, organizational design, and scaling.