REWE digital Events | Cologne & other locations

Achtung: Dies ist das selbe Event wie dieses hier bei der Softwerkskammer Köln. Bitte meldet euch entweder hier oder dort an.

Nicht unser üblicher Termin, aber auch kein gewöhnlicher Gast: Am Mittwoch, den 22.04. haben wir Philip Riecks zu Besuch, der uns etwas über Test-Strategien im Spring-Boot-Ökosystem erzähen wird.

Abstract
Softwaretests sind das Rückgrat jeder modernen Entwicklung. Sie fangen Bugs ab, validieren die Geschäftslogik und geben uns das nötige Vertrauen in die Stabilität unserer Applikationen.
Doch die Realität sieht oft anders aus: Das Testen von Spring Boot-Anwendungen gleicht häufig einem Labyrinth aus komplexen Abhängigkeiten, externen Systemen und schwer wartbaren Test-Suiten.
Ob erfahrener Profi oder Spring-Boot-Neuling - dieser Talk hilft dir dabei, die Komplexität und die typischen Fallstricke beim Testen zu überwinden und deine Produktivität nachhaltig zu steigern.
Was dich in dieser Session erwartet:

• Demystifizierung: Wir bringen Licht ins Dunkel von Integrationstests, Mocking und Kontext-Konfigurationen.
• Praxisnahe Lösungen: Philip teilt bewährte „Rezepte“ und Best Practices, die über das Standard-Lehrbuch hinausgehen.
• Fallstricke vermeiden: Erfahre, wie du typische Fehler umgehst, die oft zu instabilen oder langsamen Tests führen.
• Direkte Umsetzbarkeit: Wir konzentrieren uns auf Strategien, die du bereits am nächsten Tag in deinem Projekt anwenden kannst.

Verabschiede dich von „Testing Paralysis“ – jener Angst vor zerbrechlichem Code und unzuverlässigen Tests, die Teams Zeit, Geld und Nerven kostet. Werde souveräner im Umgang mit deinem Test-Stack und sorge für Code, der nicht nur läuft, sondern auch langfristig wartbar bleibt.

Über Philip
Philip unterstützt Entwickler dabei, Software häufiger und mit mehr Vertrauen zu deployen - durch praxisnahe technische Inhalte und Hands-on-Consulting. Er ist Indie-Hacker, reist regelmäßig durch Südostasien, spielt leidenschaftlich Squash, ist ein Padel-Newbie und genießt das Joggen in der Natur.

Agenda
18:00 Open Doors bei REWE digital und Networking
18:30 Vortrag
19:30 Q&A, Networking
21:00 Ende

Tipps zur Anreise
Nutzt gerne öffentliche Verkehrsmittel. Beispielsweise fährt euch die Linie 4 zur Keupstraße. Von dort seid ihr in 10 Minuten bei REWE digital. Vom Bahnhof Mülheim braucht ihr ca. 15 Minuten. Solltet ihr doch mit einem Auto kommen, könnt ihr die für REWE digital vorgesehenen Parkplätze auf dem Gelände nutzen.

Wir freuen uns über eine rege Teilnahme!
Softwerkskammer Köln x REWE digital

## About Digitale Leute

Digitale Leute has always been about one thing: bringing together the people who shape digital products. The thinkers, the builders, the ones who care deeply about how technology is made and why it matters. Over the years, our community has grown – but we’ve missed the magic that only happens when you’re in the same room, sharing ideas, swapping stories, and sparking conversations that no Slack channel can replicate.
So we decided: it’s time to bring our meetups back.

## First stop: Cologne, April 23rd

It only makes sense that Digitale Leute restart where it all began. Digitale Leute is a Cologne original – and so is our comeback. We’re launching the new chapter of our meetup series right here on April 23rd, hosted by one of Cologne’s most exciting digital teams – REWE digital (hey, that's us!).
The doors open at 6:00 pm, followed by the official welcome by Stefan Vosskötter at 6:30 pm. Talks, interviews, and Q&A will take place from 7:00–8:00 pm, followed by plenty of time for networking. The event will wrap up around 9:00 pm.

When: April 23, 2026, doors open at 6:00 pm
Location: This meetup will take place at our REWE digital premises in Cologne.
REWE digital, Schanzenstraße 6-20, Building 2.20 Cologne

## About REWE digital

REWE digital is the technology powerhouse behind one of Germany’s largest retail groups, with nearly 2,500 people working across five European countries – the majority of them right here in Cologne. Their team has been shaping the future of retail through technology since 1984, from e-commerce and apps to warehouse logistics and data infrastructure. We’re glad to call them our hosts.

## Speakers and Talks will be announced soon!

Good to know:
- Drinks and Snacks are – as always – on us
- Everyone is welcome, come as you are
- We speak (at least) English, German and Code
- Our "Arena Neon" Meetup location is reachable by e.g. wheelchair

How to find us:
We encourage you to use public transportation. For example, take KVB Line 4 to Keupstraße. From there, it’s a 10-minute walk to REWE digital. From Cologne Mülheim Station, it takes about 15 minutes. If you do decide to come by car, you can use the parking spaces designated for REWE digital on the premises.

See you soon!

Micha(el) Kutz will take you on his software engineering journey and says Farewell to his 12-year-journey at REWE digital (THANK YOU, MICHA!):
"16 years ago I worked as a junior developer on a huge project. The situation was bleak. Release trains with rigid schedules, only to be followed by long bug fixing phases. It was close to unbearable, probably nobody enjoyed working there, and the delivered quality was way below desired standards. One year later, many things had changed in the project's structure. Suddenly, I worked on a team that delivered high quality even before deadlines were met, which found their own creative ways to do so and had a lot of fun at work. It was like we were bit by a radioactive spider and developed superpowers. Ever since that team, I tried to reproduce that spirit in any team I joined. To find the radioactive spider that bit us. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I did not.

In this keynote, I will tell you about my attempts. About things that seemed super important, but turned out to be mere details. And about details that seemed unimportant, yet turned out to be essential. About why today I think that trust is the most important and first component, and what other components are essential when building a team with the super power to continuously deliver high quality software in the most efficient way."

When: May 27, 2026
doors open at 6:00pm
start of the tech talk at 6:30pm
Location: This meetup will take place at our REWE digital premises in Cologne.
REWE digital, Schanzenstraße 6-20, Building 2.20 Cologne
Food and drinks? As always on us!

## About Micha

"I'm a Software Engineer with a passion for systems, quality, and the people who build them. In June 2026, I'm joining Entropy Data as a Staff Engineer. Prior to that, I spent almost 12 years as a Principal Engineer at REWE digital, where I played a key role in shaping agile development, test automation, and SRE practices.

I am particularly fascinated by the intersection of code and psychology: How do cognitive biases influence our software architecture? How do metrics drive our behavior? I regularly speak and write about these topics at international conferences and on platforms like InfoQ.

A big part of my heart goes into open-source. I am the creator and maintainer of tools like ApproveJ, Stubit, and the Shakespeare Framework.

When I'm not analyzing complex systems or tinkering with new tools, you'll likely find me lacing up my running shoes, playing video games, or relaxing in distant sci-fi universes."

## About REWE digital

REWE digital is the technology powerhouse behind one of Germany’s largest retail groups, with nearly 2,500 people working across five European countries – the majority of them right here in Cologne. Their team has been shaping the future of retail through technology since 1984, from e-commerce and apps to warehouse logistics and data infrastructure. We’re glad to call them our hosts.

How to find us:
We encourage you to use public transportation. For example, take KVB Line 4 to Keupstraße. From there, it’s a 10-minute walk to REWE digital. From Cologne Mülheim Station, it takes about 15 minutes. If you do decide to come by car, you can use the parking spaces designated for REWE digital on the premises for free.

🌈All Genders and Ages welcome!
We speak (at least) English and German during this Meetup.
This event will be only in-person. If you feel some signs of sickness, please consider skipping this event and attending another time. We will have plenty of meetups in the future.
REWE digital. Part of REWE Group.

Achtung: Dies ist das selbe Event wie dieses hier. Bitte meldet euch entweder hier oder dort an.

Wir freuen uns sehr Stefan Priebsch begrüßen zu dürfen, der einen Talk zu "Domain-Driven Architecture" mitbringt. Danach wird nicht nur fleißig diskutiert werden, sondern wir machen noch ein interaktives Hands-On! Ihr könnt aber selbstverständlich auch nur zum Talk kommen.
Manche kennen Stefan vielleicht als Co-Organisator des ComoCamp, der Collaborative Modelling Unconference, die in diesem Jahr vom 6.-9. Mai in Wien stattfindet. Ich selbst war schon mehrere Male dort, von mir eine absolute Empfehlung!
Einlass ab 18 Uhr, Beginn des Talks ab ca. 18:30 Uhr! Spätestens um 22 Uhr gehen dann die Lichter aus.

Abstract:
Architecture often emerges very early on as a result of technological decisions, such as the choice of frameworks, architectural styles, or deployment models. But what if we were to reverse this process? What if architecture were to emerge solely from the quality characteristics of a system and develop evolutionarily?
This presentation introduces Domain-Driven Architecture, a new, lightweight process model. It is inspired by Domain-Driven Design, and its principles are specifically applied to architectural decision-making processes. The focus is not only on modeling, but also on the conscious design of a long-lasting architecture with short-lived implementations that evolve based on specific thresholds. We learn how this works in practice using real project examples. This results in an architecture that enables targeted and controlled changes without being restricted at an early stage by technological specifications.
The lecture is aimed at anyone who wants to understand architecture as an evolutionary discipline, i.e., as something that is consciously designed, continuously evaluated, and further developed as the domain and requirements constantly change.

Über Stefan:
Stefan Priebsch is a Software Success Consultant and expert in strategic software architecture. For over 30 years, he has helped companies turn technology investments into measurable business results.
In his talks, he challenges the belief that software projects fail because of technology. Instead, he shows how strategic ambiguity and implicit architectural decisions undermine success, and how architecture, treated as a business decision, turns software from a cost factor into a predictable value driver.

Zukünftige Themen:
Gerne könnt ihr auch schon einmal über Themenvorschläge und Wünsche nachdenken! Dann planen wir die nächsten Events und können uns rechtzeitig um Vorträge/Workshops und Speaker/Facilitators kümmern.
Bitte meldet euch an damit wir Essen und Getränke planen können und nichts verschwendet wird. Meldet euch auch bitte wieder ab, wenn ihr absehen könnt dass ihr nicht kommen werdet. Es gibt auch kein Teilnehmerlimit.

Tipps zur Anreise:
Nutzt gerne öffentliche Verkehrsmittel, beispielsweise fährt euch die Linie 4 zur Keupstraße. Von dort seid ihr in 10 Minuten bei REWE digital. Vom Bahnhof Mülheim braucht ihr ca. 15 Minuten.
Solltet ihr doch mit einem Auto kommen, könnt ihr die für REWE digital vorgesehenen Parkplätze auf dem Gelände nutzen. Es ist nicht mehr nötig, dass Kennzeichen vorher zu melden. Alternativ könnt ihr kostenpflichtig im Parkhaus auf dem Carlswerk parken. Einfach der Ausschilderung folgen.