The OOP program committee consists of 13 independent experts, each of whom is responsible for one track as track chair. They are supported by 67 reviewers who help to evaluate the submissions. Together, these 80 people will select the presentations after a thorough review and decide which speakers and topics will be included in the OOP conference program:
Software Architecture Modernization, designed by Michael Stal
Software-intensive development projects rarely start from scratch. Typically, they build on existing design and code. Due to economic considerations, it is often uneconomical to dispose of existing artifacts.
In this context, software architects face several challenges, such as:
- Improving the quality of existing systems (legacy) and/or eliminating technical debt
- Adapting existing code to new technologies or requirements
- Reusing and integrating existing software components into new environments, software product lines, or ecosystems
- Ensuring the evolution capability of legacy systems
- Recovering architecture from legacy systems
- Utilizing AI technologies for all modernization activities or part of them
- Using modern tools for carrying out the aforementioned activities
This track addresses these challenges with many tips, enabling you to successfully carry out modernization measures for software architectures.
Software Architecture: Bridging Socio-Technical Gaps, designed by Eberhard Wolff
Software architecture aims to structure large systems, but it also requires creating connections between individual parts. Developers, architects, and domain experts must work together on the architecture. Ultimately, it involves a socio-technical system of people and software, so software architecture must consider both areas.
In this context, this track covers topics such as:
- Modules
- System Structuring
- Socio-technical aspects: Interactions between architectures and people
- Agile Architecture
- Collaborative Architecture Approaches
- Frontend Architecture
- Microservices & Beyond
Domain-Driven Design, designed by Carola Lilienthal
Domain-Driven Design (DDD) is a method that supports the entire software development process. In this OOP track, we explore both the roots of DDD and the many valuable extensions over recent years. Topics include:
- Software architecture and design within and across Bounded Contexts
- Collaborative Modeling with domain experts and development teams
- Context Mapping and strategic design for large domains
- Frontend development with distributed Bounded Contexts
- Splitting and updating databases between Bounded Contexts
- Improving legacy systems with Domain-Driven Design
- Agile software development and team organization in light of DDD
Case studies, success stories, failures, innovations, and practical lessons in this track will help participants apply their experiences to their projects.
Data and AI – Bridging the Gaps, designed by Larysa Visengeriyeva
The OOP 2025 track "Data and AI – Bridging the Gaps" focuses on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into traditional software architectures within companies. Topics in this track include:
- Integrating AI-specific architectures with general systems through design principles and best practices
- Transitioning AI proof-of-concepts into scalable, production-ready applications with a focus on data management and DevOps for AI (MLOps and LLMOps/GenAIOps)
- Incorporating AI-powered development tools into traditional workflows to improve code quality and maintainability
- Aligning with EU AI regulations and integrating innovation within the company
- AI-driven modernization of legacy systems, presenting tools and techniques for code refactoring and testing to facilitate maintenance and updates
- Closing the data quality gap with data products, data contracts, and data architectures
DevOps, Bridging Dev and Ops, designed by Sandra Parsick
The original idea of DevOps was to bring Dev and Ops together. This track looks back to see if that has been achieved and what new challenges have arisen. The challenge will be to address these new issues. Topics covered include:
- DevOps Culture
- Infrastructure as Code
- Continuous Integration
- Continuous Delivery
- Build & Operation
- Automation Tools
- Developer Experience
- Platform Engineering
Product Ownership, User Experience & Requirement Engineering – Building Bridges Instead of Walls, designed by Dorthe Luebbert
Product Owners (PO), UX specialists, or Requirement Engineers often handle many threads, interacting with various groups with different goals, cultures, and mindsets. Although this can sometimes seem like a “Mission Impossible,” it provides a real opportunity to break down silos, embrace diversity, achieve clarity in communication and goals, and ultimately build better products for customers and drive business success. "Building bridges instead of walls."
Exemplary topics for this track include:
- Product Ownership as an integration task
- New methods and techniques, e.g., with AI support
- Dealing with legacy systems
- Design Thinking and Lean Startup
- Innovation and business model development
- Product Discovery
- Requirements Engineering and Business Analysis
- UX/UI and Customer Centricity
- Prototyping and experimentation
Testing & Quality, designed by Peter Zimmerer
Effective and efficient software and system development requires superior testing approaches and a strong commitment to quality. Determining the right mix of testing methods and quality measures is particularly challenging in project life due to increasing demands for system reliability, cost efficiency, and market needs for speed, flexibility, and sustainability.
This track offers practical guidance on how to address these challenges in testing and quality and how to bridge the gaps between different testing methods. Experts from various domains present key learnings from the past as well as new developments in the field, explain proven strategies and practices, and share valuable project experiences.
Social Integration, designed by Bettina Ruggeri
The "Social Integration" track focuses on the synergy of people, technologies, and processes. It examines the interaction between old and new technologies, systems, and the dynamics of different departments to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The diversity of target groups and the need for adapted communication for different age structures and levels of expertise are central. Additionally, it explores how companies can effectively close the gap between aspiration and reality—such as customer expectations and their feasibility—through innovative collaboration models, both on-site and virtually.
Legacy & Innovation, designed by Johannes Mainusch
Every company produces legacy and needs innovation. Some companies have well-aged software written in ancient languages. Innovation occurs where rapid evolution meets legacy, such as putting a fast-shrinking steam engine on rails and thus investing in the railway. Innovation in legacy organizations is crucial for a sustainable future and aligning with initiatives like the European Green Deal. The knowledge of old technologies, endurance in tedious work, courage for necessary insubordination, and belief in a very uncertain future are the ingredients for legacy innovation. This track offers innovative ideas and experiences in sustainable technology.
Back to Basics of Design, Architecture, and Programming, designed by Nicolai Josuttis
The OOP conference has repeatedly stood out as a pioneer and mediator of new trends and tools for software design, architecture, and programming. Over many years, features have been presented that expand and round off the existing principles of good software development.
However, new participants at the OOP conference sometimes face the problem of not being adequately addressed due to an assumption of too many principles and techniques.
In this track, we will focus on the basics of system design, architecture, and programming. Specifically, what is a design pattern, what is the Barbara-Liskov design principle, what is a container, and what basic mechanisms exist to decouple, scale, and test? The track aims to cover the fundamentals that are important for developing good systems and their software and provide an opportunity to ensure that these basics are understood without losing ground amidst all the high-level features and tools.
Leadership, designed by Marc Bless
This track focuses on the fundamentals of modern leadership in large, technology-oriented companies. Participants will learn strategies for successfully integrating AI to enhance decision-making without becoming overly dependent on technology. The talks address effective leadership and collaboration in AI-driven environments, ensuring that projects align strategically with overarching business goals while maintaining ethical standards.
Topics in this track include:
- Developing leadership skills that leverage the potential of AI without relying too heavily on it
- Leading AI team members—leading by AI and leading with AI
- Leading through technological change and innovation
- Building and maintaining collaborative environments in technology-driven settings
- Aligning projects with business goals strategically
- Promoting ethical standards in the integration of AI into business processes
Trends & Techniques, designed by Jutta Eckstein
In this track, we explore the intersection of software and business by examining both current and future trends and techniques. Topics include:
- The state of the art in software productivity
- Open Source
- The impact of bias on user-centered design
- Accessibility testing
- How understanding psychological safety can improve leadership qualities
- How to build environmentally sustainable systems