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AI-Assisted Legacy (Brownfield) Software Development with GitHub Copilot

Revolutionize your software development with GitHub Copilot in this comprehensive remote training for developers, technical leads, and engineering managers. Over five half-day sessions, you will gain hands-on experience mastering AI-assisted coding fundamentals and safe legacy code modernization. Learn to implement enterprise governance, enhance code quality, and boost productivity through practical AI workflows, automated testing, and prompt engineering techniques. Whether you’re looking to modernize existing systems or deliver new features, this class equips you with essential strategies and templates to harness AI effectively while managing risk and technical debt. Register for this course to transform your team’s software engineering approach and stay ahead in the AI-powered development revolution.

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Click here to register for this event!

Transform Your Development Workflow with GitHub Copilot and Advanced AI Tools Master the future of software engineering through a comprehensive training class designed for modern development teams.

  • Duration: Five half-days of 4 hours each (20 hours total). Note that hours are shown in the Central time zone.
  • Delivery: Remote (instructor in California; students distributed, class size 6–15)
  • Audience: Software developers who are familiar with GitHub and Copilot novices

Who Should Attend

Software developers, technical leads, and engineering managers ready to leverage AI for accelerated development, legacy system modernization, and greenfield project creation. You should have some experience using ChatGPT, Claude, or a similar LLM, plus some familiarity with GitHub Copilot and software development fundamentals.

What You'll Learn

The first three days of AI-Assisted Development Fundamentals lay a practical foundation for developers ready to work smarter with AI. Day one dives straight into hands-on coding — setting up tools, building a real C# project using GitHub Copilot, and mastering TDD, CI/CD pipelines, and AI instruction files. Day two broadens the picture with deeper coverage of LLM concepts, prompt engineering, documentation generation, and AI-driven testing strategies, giving you the frameworks to integrate AI responsibly across your entire development workflow. By day three, you're building custom AI agents, defining skills, and connecting Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers — putting you in control of a fully tailored, AI-powered development environment.

Legacy Code Transformation Day four puts AI to work on real-world legacy codebases. You'll learn how to safely assess and protect brownfield code, use AI to identify technical debt — from outdated patterns and security vulnerabilities to missing tests and architectural drift — and build a prioritized backlog in about an hour. Hands-on exercises walk you through implementing fixes, managing pull requests, and comparing AI model outputs to find the most effective solutions.

Greenfield Development The final day brings it all together with an AI-first approach to greenfield development. You'll follow a structured workflow — from generating business requirements and building tech stack instruction files to architecting with vertical slices and implementing features with AI-generated prompts. Live coding exercises walk you through the full cycle: implementation, pull requests, and AI-assisted code review — leaving you with a repeatable, production-ready methodology for building new applications with AI from the ground up.

Why This Training Matters The AI development era is happening now. Developers using AI tools report 30–50% productivity gains, but only when used correctly. This training teaches you to harness AI as a force multiplier while avoiding common pitfalls that lead to poor code quality and technical debt.

You'll gain:

  • Immediate productivity improvements through proper AI tool usage
  • Enterprise-ready governance frameworks for team adoption
  • Risk management strategies for production environments
  • Template libraries and workflows for ongoing success

Cost Matrix Price grid

What's the Tech Stack for this Class?

  • IDE: VS Code with the GitHub Copilot Extension
  • SCC: GitHub
  • Coding languages: C#, TypeScript, Vue.js
  • Installation instructions: See this blog.

NOTE: The emphasis is on AI assistance and how to use AI effectively to generate code. The techniques are implementable in any tech stack. You are expected to have a bit of familiarity with VS Code and enough experience with GitHub to be able to clone a repository, but ask if you need help.

Training 5+ developers? Let's customize it.

Our AI-assisted development techniques work with any tech stack—but they're even more powerful when taught using your actual tools and project types. We'll tailor the class to your team's real-world needs.

Reach out to discuss a custom program.

Session Agenda:

Monday, March 23, 2026
10:00AM
to
10:15AM
Introductions & Welcome
10:15AM
to
10:45AM
AI-Assisted Development Philosophy, Repository and Tool Setup, GitHub Copilot UI Tour
10:45AM
to
11:30AM
Lab: Calculator Project - Setup & Basic Implementation
11:30AM
to
12:00PM
Foundations of Using AI in Software Development
12:00PM
to
1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM
to
1:15PM
Code Quality Analysis
1:15PM
to
1:30PM
Evergreen Code Concepts
1:30PM
to
2:15PM
Core Instruction Files & Provenance Tracking + Organizational vs. Repository Instruction Files
2:15PM
to
2:30PM
Exercise: Technology Inventory & Instruction Generation
2:30PM
to
2:45PM
Copilot Instruction Files and Context Management
2:45PM
to
3:00PM
Creating Instruction Files with Sessions + Managing Instruction Files & Context Windows
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
10:00AM
to
10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda + GitHub Copilot Pricing & Licensing
10:15AM
to
10:30AM
VS Code Configuration Tips + LLMs + GitHub Copilot for Teams Key Considerations
10:30AM
to
11:00AM
Model Selection and Capabilities + Safety Measures & Best Practices
11:00AM
to
11:15AM
Managing Copilot & Context + Prompt Files
11:15AM
to
11:30AM
Hands-On Exercise: Creating Prompt Files
11:30AM
to
12:00PM
Creating Instruction Files from Prompts
12:00PM
to
1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM
to
1:15PM
Documentation Generation
1:15PM
to
1:30PM
Architecture Diagrams with Mermaid
1:30PM
to
1:45PM
Code Explanation and Analysis
1:45PM
to
2:00PM
Code Translation and Technical Hotspot Analysis + Azure DevOps & GitHub Copilot Extensions
2:00PM
to
2:15PM
Create a GH Personal Access Token + Test Automation & Code Quality
2:15PM
to
2:30PM
Test Generation Capabilities + Prompt Guidance Discussion
2:30PM
to
2:45PM
Testing Frameworks
2:45PM
to
3:00PM
Feature Flags and Test Suites + Testing in Production
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
10:00AM
to
10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM
to
10:30AM
Custom Agents
10:30AM
to
10:45AM
Skills
10:45AM
to
11:15AM
Exercise: Building Custom Agents
11:15AM
to
12:00PM
Exercise: Defining Skills
12:00PM
to
1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM
to
1:15PM
Agent Best Practices
1:15PM
to
1:30PM
MCP (Model Context Protocol) Servers
1:30PM
to
2:15PM
Exercise: MCP Servers
Thursday, March 26, 2026
10:00AM
to
10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM
to
10:30AM
AI Practitioner Resources Overview
10:30AM
to
10:45AM
Fork Repository
10:45AM
to
11:00AM
Protecting Brownfield Code Bases
11:00AM
to
11:15AM
AI Implementation Workflow
11:15AM
to
11:30AM
Effective Prompts for Technical Debt
11:30AM
to
12:15PM
Building a Backlog - Technical Debt Identification
12:15PM
to
1:15PM
60-minute Break
1:15PM
to
1:30PM
Prioritization & Issue Management
1:30PM
to
1:45PM
Addressing Technical Debt
1:45PM
to
2:30PM
Lab: Student implementation practice
2:30PM
to
3:00PM
Multi-Implementation Comparison
Friday, March 27, 2026
10:00AM
to
10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM
to
10:30AM
AI-First Development Methodology + Session Transition and Preview
10:30AM
to
10:45AM
Greenfield Development Workflow + AI-Assisted Workflow Pattern
10:45AM
to
11:00AM
Business Requirements Generation Exercise
11:00AM
to
11:15AM
Technology Stack Instruction Files
11:15AM
to
11:30AM
Vertical Slicing Architecture Introduction
11:30AM
to
11:45AM
Creating Vertical Slice Implementation Plans
11:45AM
to
12:00PM
Dependency Analysis and Planning
12:00PM
to
12:15PM
Vertical Slice Review + Issue Identification & Diagram Corrections
12:15PM
to
1:15PM
60-minute Break
1:15PM
to
1:30PM
Implementation Prompts and Verification
1:30PM
to
2:00PM
Vertical Slice Implementation
2:00PM
to
2:15PM
Pull Request and Code Review
2:15PM
to
2:30PM
Slice 4 Showcase - Order of Operations + GitHub Code Review with Copilot
2:30PM
to
2:45PM
Slice 3 Showcase - Clear Button
2:45PM
to
3:00PM
GitHub CLI & PR Management
3:00PM
to
3:15PM
Adoption Strategy
Monday, March 23, 2026
Online Course
10:00AM to 10:15AM
Introductions & Welcome
10:15AM to 10:45AM
AI-Assisted Development Philosophy, Repository and Tool Setup, GitHub Copilot UI Tour
10:45AM to 11:30AM
Lab: Calculator Project - Setup & Basic Implementation
11:30AM to 12:00PM
Foundations of Using AI in Software Development
12:00PM to 1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM to 1:15PM
Code Quality Analysis
1:15PM to 1:30PM
Evergreen Code Concepts
1:30PM to 2:15PM
Core Instruction Files & Provenance Tracking + Organizational vs. Repository Instruction Files
2:15PM to 2:30PM
Exercise: Technology Inventory & Instruction Generation
2:30PM to 2:45PM
Copilot Instruction Files and Context Management
2:45PM to 3:00PM
Creating Instruction Files with Sessions + Managing Instruction Files & Context Windows
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Online Course
10:00AM to 10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda + GitHub Copilot Pricing & Licensing
10:15AM to 10:30AM
VS Code Configuration Tips + LLMs + GitHub Copilot for Teams Key Considerations
10:30AM to 11:00AM
Model Selection and Capabilities + Safety Measures & Best Practices
11:00AM to 11:15AM
Managing Copilot & Context + Prompt Files
11:15AM to 11:30AM
Hands-On Exercise: Creating Prompt Files
11:30AM to 12:00PM
Creating Instruction Files from Prompts
12:00PM to 1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM to 1:15PM
Documentation Generation
1:15PM to 1:30PM
Architecture Diagrams with Mermaid
1:30PM to 1:45PM
Code Explanation and Analysis
1:45PM to 2:00PM
Code Translation and Technical Hotspot Analysis + Azure DevOps & GitHub Copilot Extensions
2:00PM to 2:15PM
Create a GH Personal Access Token + Test Automation & Code Quality
2:15PM to 2:30PM
Test Generation Capabilities + Prompt Guidance Discussion
2:30PM to 2:45PM
Testing Frameworks
2:45PM to 3:00PM
Feature Flags and Test Suites + Testing in Production
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Online Course
10:00AM to 10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM to 10:30AM
Custom Agents
10:30AM to 10:45AM
Skills
10:45AM to 11:15AM
Exercise: Building Custom Agents
11:15AM to 12:00PM
Exercise: Defining Skills
12:00PM to 1:00PM
60-minute Break
1:00PM to 1:15PM
Agent Best Practices
1:15PM to 1:30PM
MCP (Model Context Protocol) Servers
1:30PM to 2:15PM
Exercise: MCP Servers
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Online Course
10:00AM to 10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM to 10:30AM
AI Practitioner Resources Overview
10:30AM to 10:45AM
Fork Repository
10:45AM to 11:00AM
Protecting Brownfield Code Bases
11:00AM to 11:15AM
AI Implementation Workflow
11:15AM to 11:30AM
Effective Prompts for Technical Debt
11:30AM to 12:15PM
Building a Backlog - Technical Debt Identification
12:15PM to 1:15PM
60-minute Break
1:15PM to 1:30PM
Prioritization & Issue Management
1:30PM to 1:45PM
Addressing Technical Debt
1:45PM to 2:30PM
Lab: Student implementation practice
2:30PM to 3:00PM
Multi-Implementation Comparison
Friday, March 27, 2026
Online Course
10:00AM to 10:15AM
Welcome back, questions, agenda
10:15AM to 10:30AM
AI-First Development Methodology + Session Transition and Preview
10:30AM to 10:45AM
Greenfield Development Workflow + AI-Assisted Workflow Pattern
10:45AM to 11:00AM
Business Requirements Generation Exercise
11:00AM to 11:15AM
Technology Stack Instruction Files
11:15AM to 11:30AM
Vertical Slicing Architecture Introduction
11:30AM to 11:45AM
Creating Vertical Slice Implementation Plans
11:45AM to 12:00PM
Dependency Analysis and Planning
12:00PM to 12:15PM
Vertical Slice Review + Issue Identification & Diagram Corrections
12:15PM to 1:15PM
60-minute Break
1:15PM to 1:30PM
Implementation Prompts and Verification
1:30PM to 2:00PM
Vertical Slice Implementation
2:00PM to 2:15PM
Pull Request and Code Review
2:15PM to 2:30PM
Slice 4 Showcase - Order of Operations + GitHub Code Review with Copilot
2:30PM to 2:45PM
Slice 3 Showcase - Clear Button
2:45PM to 3:00PM
GitHub CLI & PR Management
3:00PM to 3:15PM
Adoption Strategy