Pavel Khodalev

I am the author of RACE Programming and the CTO of First Line Software AI Lab — the R&D center inside First Line Software where this methodology was developed, implemented, and refined in production delivery between 2024 and 2026.

What I do

At First Line Software, I lead the AI Lab as a center of excellence for AI-assisted software engineering and AI-native delivery. The Lab serves as a methodology think tank for the broader First Line Software delivery organization and for client engagements. My day-to-day work combines three threads: developing RACE Programming as an open methodology (this site), driving internal adoption across First Line Software delivery teams, and working directly with clients on AI-native transformation programs.

Independently of my role at First Line Software, I write and speak about AI-First Theory, the AI-First Manifesto, and the broader question of how software engineering practice needs to evolve in the AI-native era. The writing on this site reflects my authorial perspective; First Line Software is the organization where the methodology was built and first proven, not the publisher of the theory.

How RACE Programming came about

The methodology did not begin as a methodology. It began as a set of practical answers to a practical problem: First Line Software needed to operate production delivery in a world where AI coding systems were becoming genuinely capable, and none of the existing SDLC methodologies handled that shift well. Scrum-with-AI did not produce the productivity gains the underlying technology implied. Adding Copilot to a Jira backlog was not a methodology.

Over a series of transformation experiments inside First Line Software — initially with one team, then several, eventually across multiple delivery programs — a stable pattern emerged: specific roles, specific artifacts, specific ceremonies, specific tooling. Once the pattern stabilized and the economic outcomes became reproducible, I formalized it. RACE Programming is the result.

Why this site exists

I believe the industry benefits when methodologies are published openly, critiqued in the open, and allowed to evolve through the contributions of practitioners outside a single organization. RACE Programming is prescriptive, but it is not proprietary. The axioms, theorems, roles, artifacts, and ceremonies are documented here for anyone to implement, extend, or disagree with.

First Line Software remains the pioneer implementer and currently the main source of accredited practitioners, but the methodology itself belongs to the engineering community to the extent that the community adopts it. This site is my instrument for that adoption.

Contact

Email: [email protected].
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/khodalev.
For engagement with First Line Software on RACE Programming delivery: firstlinesoftware.com/ai-native-development.

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