Let's reinvigorate software development:
Combine use of AI with Time orientation
T O S D A N D A I - A I D E D D E V E L O P M E N T
AI makes developers faster.
But the organization can't keep up
AI coding tools are changing how code gets written. Yet Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe remain stuck in rituals, roles, and bureaucracy. The result: more code, but barely more delivered software.
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The pattern is consistent across research studies: AI accelerates individual code production but does not improve system-level delivery without structural change to how work is conceptualized, bounded, and reviewed. TOSD provides exactly that structure — making the OK Point the essential quality gate in an AI-accelerated world, and the 1–3 day time-box the natural boundary that keeps AI outputs small, reviewable, and deployable.
AI-aided development needs Time orientation.
Not yet another framework
75%
of developers use AI tools — without measurable acceleration at the organizational level
Individual productivity rises, but team-level delivery speed and quality stay flat. The bottleneck just shifts elsewhere.
Faros AI: AI Productivity Paradox Report, 2025
4 X
more code duplication since AI assistants arrived
AI generates more code, but less thoughtful code. Copy-paste instead of modularity. Technical debt is growing faster than ever before.
GitClear: 211M changed lines, 2020–2024
23 min.
is how long a developer needs to get back into flow after an interruption
Meetings, rituals, sprint ceremonies — all of it destroys the state of deep concentration that good software development requires.
UC Irvine / Georgia Institute of Technology
46%
of developers do not fully trust AI-generated outputs
AI code requires thorough review. Without clear conceptualization work upfront, the review becomes the new bottleneck.
Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 2025
I N S I G H T S F R O M R E S E A R C H
WITH AI, The bottleneck IS shiftING —
from typing to thinking
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AI assistants like Copilot, Cursor, or Claude Code make writing code dramatically faster. But research consistently shows this speed rarely translates into faster delivery at the team or organizational level. The bottleneck has simply moved: the problem is no longer typing, it's knowing precisely what to build before you start.
A landmark 2025 study by Faros AI, analyzing telemetry from over 10.000 developers across 1.255 teams, found that while AI-augmented developers write significantly more code, organizations see no measurable improvement in delivery velocity or business outcomes. The bottleneck transfers downstream — into code review, QA, and integration.
The OK Point: antidote to AI-induced chaos
This is exactly where TOSD's OK Point becomes critical. It enforces that a clean, written concept exists before anyone starts coding — whether with AI assistance or without. No vague user stories. No endless backlogs. No assumptions baked into a prompt. Just a precise description of the What, clear enough to determine whether the realization takes 1, 2, or 3 days.
Conceptualization done well also produces better AI outputs. Clearly scoped, well-described tasks result in more reliable AI-generated code with fewer hallucinations and less rework. The OK Point ensures that the speed of AI coding is channeled into the right work — not just any work, faster.
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Small items are AI's sweet spot.
TOSD enforces them
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AI tools perform best on small, self-contained, well-described tasks. TOSD's 1–3 day timeboxes structurally enforce exactly that. Larger items must be broken down before reaching the OK Point — which also means less AI-generated code sprawl, less duplication, and more manageable reviews.
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Flow state: the multiplier AI can't replace
Research by Gloria Mark at UC Irvine found it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain deep focus after an interruption. Sprint ceremonies, stand-ups, and planning rituals destroy this repeatedly throughout the day. TOSD's structure — time-fixed, concept-first, TTEO when needed — protects the conditions for flow: clear goals, bounded scope, minimal ceremony.
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Self-organization instead of AI-induced bureaucracy
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Many organizations respond to AI adoption with tighter control and more oversight layers. TOSD does the opposite: structure through time, not hierarchy. The result is more flow, more autonomy, more ownership, and more joy — alongside the speed that AI can genuinely contribute.
Let's make time the boss
Time-orientation is a revolutionary way of thinking about software development. And perhaps a shift in the way we organize software companies and tech firms, to achieve agility worth the name in a time of AI-supported product development.
By combining time orientation and AI, software development can become high-performing and self-improving, uniting flow and punctuality with joy at work. With TOSD, you deliver software faster than others can put together user stories.
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Invented and launched in 2025, TOSD is very straight-forward. It creates structures that are both simple and effective. So simple, in fact, that creating a TOSD system requires neither lengthy certifications, nor constant surveillance by consultants or coaches. You can bring about Time-Oriented Software Development within four weeks - regardless of how many people are involved. By making time the boss, everyone, including managers, can focus on getting the work done.
T H E T O S D T E A M
Who we are
Niels Pflaeging is the world's leading thinker on Time-Oriented Work Systems. He is BetaCodex Network founder, advisor, speaker and bestselling author. Niels (co-)created several influential approaches, including Cell Structure Design, Relative Targets and OpenSpace Beta. Niels is co-creator of Time-Oriented Software Development, TOSD. He is based in Wiesbaden, Germany. Working languages: EN, DE, ES, PT
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Sebastian Kubsch is CTO of Pradtke GmbH. He is co-creator of Time-Oriented Software Development, TOSD. Pradtke has been the 1st company to pioneer TOSD, starting time-orientation in mid-2025. First results appeared immediately, leading to a 10-fold increase of output within weeks. Sebastian is based in Bochum, Germany. Working languages: EN, DE
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Andreas Schlegel is a senior IT advisor and architect with extensive experience in large-scale software implementations. He is also CTO at qomenius GmbH. Andreas is an accredited TOSD associate. He is based near Freiburg, Germany. Working languages: EN, DE
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Ernesto R. Corona is an entrepreneur and founder of d-vops, a company based in Argentina, Mexico and the United States. Ernesto is an experienced business, IT and change consultant, creator/co-creator of the FLIPO card game and the BetaCodex Thermometer. Ernesto is an accredited TOSD associate. He is based in Buenos Aires and San Juan, Argentina. Working languages: ES, EN
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Silke Hermann is a serial entrepreneur, advisor, creator of social technologies and co-founder of Red42. Silke acts as Consigliere to the TOSD Team. She is based in Wiesbaden, Germany. Working languages: EN, DE
The BetaCodex Network
research paper on Time-Oriented Software Development, written by TOSD creators Niels Pflaeging
and Sebastian Kubsch:
Now available for download in English, Spanish & German!
S T A Y U P D A T E D
Join the TOSD mailing list
Sign up and get notified about TOSD news every few weeks
V I D E O S A B O U T T O S D
Keynotes, conversations, Clips
This 20-second clip visualizes how an individual software development item flows through a TOSD system. It highlights two concepts: First, the OK Point – a unique feature of TOSD systems never articulated in any previous approach to software development. Secondly, the crucial distinction between Conceptualization and Realization.
In his opening keynote at Regional Scrum Gathering Belgrade, Niels reflects on the history of Waterfall & Agile software development, introduces concepts of time-orientation and TOSD, and highlights the importance of an enlightened understanding of both decentralization and organizational change. A firework of a keynote.
In this recording of a webinar hosted by Agile Maine, Niels Pflaeging outlines key principles of time-orientation in software development and enters a lively discussion with participants about time-orientation and its foe, capacity-orientation. The group debates on how to overcome capacity-orientation and command-and-control management, for good.
In the 76th episode of the BetaCodex LIVE videocast, Rijon Erickson discusses with TOSD co-creators Niels and Sebastian how TOSD came into being. Together, they highlight distinctive features of time-orientation, compared with conventional approaches to product development and software development. A great introduction to TOSD!
In the 79th episode of the BetaCodex LIVE videocast, Rijon and Niels dig deeper into TOSD concepts and practice - reflecting on The List, the OK-Point, Conceptualization, Realization, the TTEO principle, and more. Niels gives practical advice around how to make a TOSD system work, compared to Agile.
Ernesto Corona and Niels Pflaeging discuss TOSD during the 8th episode of the "BetaCodex en Vivo" pocast in Spanish.
The BetaCodex en Vivo podcast is also available on Spotify.
Upcoming TOSD conferences
with TOSD creators Niels Pflaeging and Sebastian Kubsch:
21 May 2026: Bochum, Germany
TOSD Tour LatAm 2026:
11 Jun: Buenos Aires/Argentina
15 Oct: Bogotá/Colombia
21 Oct: San Juan/Costa Rica
27 Oct: Mexico City/Mexico
To host a TOSD conference in your country or region, get in touch!
T H E. T O S D T E A M P O R T F O L I O O F S E R V I C E S
Get going with TOSD, fast
Get the support you need to go time-oriented within weeks – regardless of your organization's size or geographic spread. Time-orientation scales naturally: It works with just a bunch of software developers, with hundreds or with thousands. Time orientation will multiply the benefits you can generate from savvy use of AI. We support clients of all sizes and wherever you are. We are fluent in several languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese and German.
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Depending on your current setup, you might make use of some or all the following offerings that are delivered by our creator-founders, our accredited associates, and our associated companies. What you won't need to make time-orientation happen is certifications, lengthy classroom trainings, continuous internal or external support roles, or constant facilitation.
All this combined makes TOSD adoption very straight-forward, totally scalable and super-fast. Get in touch with us to learn more about TOSD services. Get in touch with Red42 about our portfolio of services!
01
Learn, connect, reflect, prepare. 1st conferences:
27 Mar Buenos Aires/AR, 21 May Bochum/DE
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Scalable small-group learning for all, all at once, in conversation. No classrooms needed
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TOSD impulse Sessions
For groups small to very large. Learn more about the concept, its features, principles & practice
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Scalable, self-organized large-group events for TOSD adoption and TOSD deepening
03
Jump Start:
Your boot camp
Get started with TOSD as a company or team. Jump starting takes a single day, on site
07
Get into the Groove
Regular, virtual support sessions to deepen, refine and consolidate your TOSD system
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Accelerator:
Advice for you
Company-individual support & advisory
during your first two months with TOSD
08
Club Time-Orientation
Studio Days for insight, community-building, exchange, updates and action research
T H E T O S D Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S & C E R T I F I C A T I O N S
Official TOSD Certifications
Starting April 2026
01
TOSD Practitioner
Five 90-minutes web sessions, delivered through the qomenius platform. Plus 90-minute online live debriefing with a member of the TOSD Team.
You will be awarded the TOSD Practitioner badge
02
TOSD
Consultant
Five 90-minutes web sessions, delivered through the qomenius platform. Plus 90-minute online live debriefing with a member of the TOSD Team.
You will be awarded the TOSD Consultant badge
03
TOSD
MAnager
Five 90-minutes web sessions, delivered through the qomenius platform. Plus 90-minute online live debriefing with a member of the TOSD Team.
You will be awarded the TOSD Manager badge
04
TOSD
Advisor
3-day in-presence qualification, plus written exercise and 1/2-day online colloquium, plus reading.
You will be awarded the TOSD Advisor badge, becoming an authorized TOSD client advisor and authorized reseller of the other qualifications-certifications in the TOSD portfolio
1st Bochum conference
on Time-Oriented
Software development
21 MAY 2026
based on the BetaCodex
TOSD is derived from the BetaCodex©, an open source,
free social technology published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license from Creative Commons, and found here: www.betacodex.org