Welcoming Back Michael Feathers to DDD Europe 2026
Michael Feathers will be returning to DDD Europe in 2026! For those who attended DDD Europe 2024, you'll remember Michael's thought-provoking talk on design discovery in existing systems. It’s great to have him back to share more of his insights with us.
About Michael Feathers
Michael Feathers is the founder and Director of R7K Research & Conveyance, a company specialising in software and organisation design. Michael has become one of the industry's voices on code quality, legacy systems, and sustainable software practices.
Michael is the author of "Working Effectively with Legacy Code", a work that has become essential reading for developers worldwide. The book provides practical strategies for bringing existing codebases under control, teaching developers how to write tests for untested code and make safer changes to complex systems.
His 2024 Talk: Design Discovery in Existing Systems
At DDD Europe 2024, Michael presented "Design Discovery in Existing Systems," a talk that challenged conventional thinking about greenfield versus brownfield development. His central question was compelling: while we all aspire to the best design, what about the abstractions that already exist in our current systems?
Michael explored how being aware of what currently exists in a system can lead us to better solutions. Rather than always building up a domain from scratch, he demonstrated how we can leverage existing structure, identify unnamed concepts through current cohesion and coupling patterns, and use these insights to guide us toward our desired architecture.
The talk emphasised that the abstractions visible through tools that help us understand system behaviour might guide us toward what we'd want in a rewrite, but that doesn't mean we should ignore what's already there. Often, we can work with existing patterns rather than against them.
You can watch his full 2024 talk here: Design Discovery in Existing Systems
Looking Forward to 2026
We're looking forward to welcoming Michael back to DDD Europe 2026. His perspective on working with real-world systems, combined with his deep understanding of software design principles, makes him an invaluable voice in the DDD community.
Next to a talk, Michael will also teach a Masterclass: Forces in Software: Understanding the Physics of Software Evolution on Tuesday, June 9 2026. In this intensive one-day workshop, he will explore the fundamental forces that determine how software changes over time and why systems take the forms they do. You’ll walk away with actionable insights and practical strategies for steering long-lived systems toward sustainable growth rather than inevitable decay.
Stay tuned for more speaker announcements and program details!
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