We built a software factory in 10 days. Here's what we learned.

Over a 10-day experiment, a team built a software factory to create a Notion-style note-taking app called Memo, without any human-written production code, by utilizing a network of background agents to automate the entire software development life cycle (SDLC). The experiment demonstrated the capability of these agents to handle tasks such as planning, implementation, review, deployment, and monitoring, with humans only writing specs and overseeing escalations. The project underscored the importance of detailed specifications as the control surface, as it directly influenced the quality of the end product, revealing that insufficient specs led to product iterations and bug fixes. Despite producing a functional product, the factory struggled with design aesthetics, highlighting the need for human taste and guidance. The factory's continuous improvement was facilitated by feedback loops and self-assessment tools, allowing it to evolve and address its own gaps. The initiative emphasized the shift in engineering roles from product building to factory maintenance, and the potential for standardization in software factories, akin to the development of Kubernetes for orchestration engines.