Introduction to AIDLC — The AI Development Lifecycle

Abstract: Most teams have adopted AI coding tools — Copilot, Kiro, Claude, Cursor — but haven't seen the productivity gains they expected. The tools aren't the problem. The process is. SDLC was built around the assumption that humans write every line of code. Retrofitting AI tools onto that foundation creates friction, inconsistency, and unrealized potential. What's needed is a rethink of the process itself. Enter AIDLC — the AI Development Lifecycle. AIDLC is a modern software development methodology purpose-built for AI-assisted development. It replaces the plan-build-test-ship cadence with three new phases — Inception, Construction, and Operation — and introduces new atomic work units (Intents, Units, and Bolts) designed so AI can execute reliably and developers can verify immediately. In this session we'll walk through the framework, show a live demo of building a feature using AIDLC with Kiro, and give you a playbook for bringing this to your own team on Monday morning.
Who Should Attend: Software engineers who use AI coding tools daily but feel like they're only getting 10% of the value. Engineering managers who bought licenses and are wondering where the productivity went. Tech leads evaluating how to restructure their team's workflow around AI. Anyone curious about what "AI-native development" actually looks like in practice — not slides, not theory, but a real build loop.
About the Speakers:

• Sunil Yerkola — Senior Solutions Architect, AWS | AGS NAMER Tech. Sunil works with enterprise customers to modernize their development practices and adopt AI-powered tooling. He recently completed the AIDLC workshop and is passionate about helping teams transition from traditional SDLC to AI-native development workflows. He is based in North Carolina.
• Greg Sligh — Senior Solutions Architect, AWS. Greg has more than 25 years of experience in software engineering, software architecture, consulting, and IT and Engineering leadership roles across multiple industries. For the majority of his career, he has focused on creating and delivering distributed, data-driven applications with particular focus on scale, performance, and resiliency. Now he helps ISVs meet their objectives across technologies, with particular focus on AI/ML.

Agenda:

1. 12:00 pm to 12:10 pm ET - Arrival & Networking
2. 12:10 pm to 12:30 pm ET - The Problem: Why SDLC + AI Tools ≠ Productivity
3. 12:30 pm to 12:55 pm ET - AIDLC Framework Deep Dive: Inception → Construction → Operation (Intent, Units, Bolts)
4. 12:55 pm to 1:05 pm ET - Break
5. 1:05 pm to 1:35 pm ET - Live Demo: Building a Feature with Kiro Using AIDLC
6. 1:35 pm to 1:50 pm ET - Adoption Playbook: How to Bring AIDLC to Your Team
7. 1:50 pm to 2:00 pm ET - Q&A / Open Discussion

Venue & Parking:
WeWork One Glenwood — 1 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27603. Parking is available at the Glenwood South parking deck (directly behind the building) or metered street parking along Glenwood Ave. WeWork is on the 9th floor — check in at the front desk and mention the AWS User Group event.