In Person-Salem-"So our solo developer died..." Software archaeology with AI

"So our solo developer died..." Software archaeology with AI presented by Kevin Griffin

"What would happen if you got hit by a bus?" Developers and consultants joke about it all the time. It's a grim question, but one worth answering. On a recent client engagement, I had to answer it for someone else.

A solo developer who spent more than 20 years building and supporting a niche SaaS product passed away with little to no warning. He left behind a loving family and a large software system that existed mostly in his head: no source control, no documentation, and no handoff. My job was to figure out what existed, where it lived, and how to keep running a product that companies around the world depend on.

Using Claude Code as an investigative partner, I spelunked through his development machine, following clues across files, scripts, configs, and databases to piece together how it all fit together. In this talk, I'll walk through what I found, where AI helped (and where it didn't), and the practical steps you can take now, whether you're a solo developer or part of a team, so nobody has to do this archaeology on your work.

Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided.