Software delivery rebuilt for the age of AI
RACE Programming is an AI-native delivery framework developed by First Line Software. It replaces traditional Scrum with a 3-tier team structure where AI executes the code — delivering ~3× more scope for the same budget and timeline, or the same scope at ~1/3 the cost, or 2–5× faster — with throughput guaranteed in the contract.
Why traditional delivery breaks with AIYour delivery process wasn’t built for a team where AI does the coding
Most engineering teams have bolted AI tools onto an unchanged delivery process.
The result is modest speed gains (10–20%) instead of the structural acceleration that’s now possible.
The bottleneck has shifted. It’s no longer about how fast engineers write code, but how precisely you specify what needs to be built.
“Our backlog grows faster than we can drain it.”
The team ships — but ideas and change requests accumulate faster. Velocity feels high, but the pipeline never clears. That’s a structural problem, not a resourcing one.
“We adopted AI tools and got 15% faster. Not 4x.”
Adding Copilot or AI assistants on top of Scrum is a tooling upgrade, not a process redesign. The constraint is now specification quality — not code generation speed.
“Stakeholders wait two weeks to see anything real.”
Two-week sprints mean slow feedback loops. By the time someone touches working software, the context has drifted — and the cost of correction compounds.
The 3-tier model
The 3-tier modelOne team. Three speeds.
Built around how AI actually works
RACE Programming restructures delivery into three distinct tiers — each operating at its own cadence,
protected from the noise of the others. The result: faster execution, cleaner handoffs, and no re-scoping mid-cycle.
Want to go deeper into the theory? FLS CTO Pavel Khodalev documents the full framework at raceprogramming.com →
Team Principal — Your role
Who: You — the product owner, CTO, or business stakeholder.
Responsibilities: Strategy, priorities, UAT, budget sign-off.
Cadence: Weekly — one Pit Stop per week. You test real software and approve or redirect. Time commitment: approximately 1 hour per week.
Pit Wall — Your single interface
Who: One AI Product and one ACE Software Engineer (Senior AI Engineer) — your only contact point throughout the engagement.
Responsibilities: Translates business needs into Executable User Stories — structured specs with working prototypes, architecture decisions (ADRs), acceptance tests, and non-functional requirements. This is the layer that makes AI execution predictable.
Cadence: Days — continuously refining and preparing specs ahead of each Stint.
Pit Crew — Invisible to you, by design
Who: A Quality Engineer and two software engineers — all AI-augmented (Anthropic Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and others).
Responsibilities: Executes the Executable User Stories delivered by Pit Wall. Runs a Spec → Build → Align loop twice per day. All four test gates must be green before a story closes: unit coverage ≥80%, integration, E2E, and automated acceptance tests.
Cadence: 2× daily build loop.
Business caseOne quality bar held fixed.
You choose where the gain lands.
RACE Programming isn’t a staffing model, it’s a delivery architecture.
The business case is in throughput, cycle time, and risk reduction, not in headcount comparison.
Classic Scrum
No throughput commitment
Idea to working software: 2 weeks
Release cadence: sprint-bound
AI tools added on top of Scrum
Multiple vendor contacts, ceremonies
Priced by seat/hour/FTE
RACE Programming
~3× more scope, ~1/3 the cost, or 2–5× faster — you choose
Idea to production: 1 week
Release cadence: adapts to your pace
Process rebuilt around AI execution
One interface — Pit Wall only
Fixed price or subscription
0h
Idea to working prototype
No charge if it doesn’t convince you.
0x
Throughput vs Scrum
Contractually committed.
Right fit for your organization
RACE Programming works best for product-led organizations where speed of delivery is more than a “nice-to-have.”
CTO, VP Engineering, or Head of Product as primary decision-maker
Mid-market software company where speed of delivery is a competitive variable
Backlog growing faster than it is draining
AI is a strategic priority — not “we’ll explore it later”
Open to outcome-based contracts, not seat-count billing
One engaged product owner available for weekly UAT
Greenfield features, net-new products, or AI-first workflows
One Stint — idea to productionFrom your idea to working software in one week
A Stint is one release-to-release delivery cycle. Here’s how an idea moves through the system,
from the moment you describe it to the moment it ships to production.
01
Describe the outcome
Share the business need in plain language. No spec required.
Mon · 30 min
02
Spec + working prototype
Executable User Story: spec, prototype, tests, and architecture in one artifact.
48 hours
03
Build loop — 2× a day
Spec → Build → Align. Four test gates must all be green before a story closes.
Wed – Thu
04
You review real software
Not staging or a demo. You test the actual product, then approve or redirect. Under 1 hour.
Fri · 1 hour
05
Goes live
Deployed. Next idea enters the loop immediately. The race doesn’t stop.
Same week
Stint = your pace
A Stint is one release-to-release cycle. Maximum speed is weekly — but if your organization absorbs releases biweekly
or monthly, we adapt. The process stays identical; only the cadence changes.
You are never pushed faster than you can validate.
What you experienceYour first month — from your POV
This is what the engagement looks like from your perspective. What you see, what you do, and when — with no surprises.
Kickoff + first prototype
Share 2–3 priorities. Receive a working prototype in 48 hours. One 30-min call.
Zero code needed from you
First Pit Stop
First feature in production. Test against real data, give feedback in under 1 hour.
First live feature
Full cadence
New releases at your pace — weekly, biweekly, or monthly. One interface. Zero noise.
One interface. Zero noise.
Race speed
Scale Pit Crew teams if needed. Backlog visibly drains. The race never stops.
4x throughput active
Where we apply itHow RACE Programming works across different industries
RACE Programming works the same way regardless of industry — the framework doesn’t change, only the domain expertise does. Here’s how it applies across four verticals where First Line Software operates, with industry knowledge built into the Pit Wall layer.
Healthcare
AI-powered clinical workflows at production speed
FHIR-native integration, clinical decision support, and AI-powered workflow automation — delivered with the compliance rigor healthcare systems require. RACE Programming enables weekly releases without compromising security or regulatory standards.
Real Estate
From portfolio data to working product in days
Lease intelligence, deal underwriting, portfolio reporting, and tenant experience tools — built on AI-native architecture. RACE Programming shortens the cycle from your business needs to deployed features across CRE, multifamily, and institutional portfolios.
Digital Experience
CMS, search, and AI features without the wait
Optimizely implementation, AEO/GEO optimization, conversational AI, and content platform upgrades — delivered in weekly Stints. Engineering teams can validate AI-driven features with real users faster than any sprint-based approach allows.
Hospitality
Guest experience and operations — shipped continuously
AI-native guest communication, booking engine integrations, and operational workflow automation built to the pace of hospitality operations. RACE Programming ensures new capabilities reach production before the next peak season.
How RACE Programming works — questions we hear most.
What is RACE Programming?
RACE Programming (Reliable Agentic Coding Excellence) is an AI-native software delivery framework developed by First Line Software. It replaces traditional Scrum with a 3-tier team structure — Team Principal, Pit Wall, and Pit Crew — where AI executes the code. Ideas reach production in one week — delivering ~3× more scope, ~1/3 the cost, or 2–5× faster than traditional Agile, depending on where you apply the gain.
The complete framework — theory, manifesto, and practice guides — is documented by FLS CTO Pavel Khodalev at raceprogramming.com →
How is RACE Programming different from Scrum or Agile?
Scrum was designed for human-only teams. In RACE Programming, AI executes the code, which shifts the bottleneck from execution to specification quality. The Pit Wall layer exists entirely to solve that: producing Executable User Stories precise enough that AI builds correctly without re-interpreting context.
What is a Stint?
A Stint is one release-to-release delivery cycle. Maximum speed is weekly, but if your team absorbs releases biweekly or monthly, the cadence adapts. The process stays identical. You are never pushed faster than you can validate and deploy.
What is the Pit Wall?
The Pit Wall is your single point of contact, made up of as AI Product and an ACE Software Engineer (Senior AI Engineer) who translate business needs into Executable User Stories: structured specs with working prototypes, architecture decisions (ADRs), acceptance tests, and non-functional requirements. This is what makes AI execution predictable at scale.
How fast is the first delivery?
A working prototype is delivered within 48 hours of your first conversation. The complete feature ships to production by the end of the same week.
How is RACE Programming priced?
RACE Programming is priced as a fixed price or a subscription by throughput — not by seat, hour, or FTE. Three tiers are available: Pace Vision (roadmap and backlog), Pace Acceleration (weekly delivery), and Pace Telemetry (live system SLA).
Bring your AI idea — we’ll help you scope it.
We’ll help clarify the use case, define success metrics, and outline a realistic first step.