Testers are no longer needed. Agile is dead. Again. AI will take our jobs.

We've heard these statements for years. They come up in conference hallways, during coffee breaks, and over dinner at every Agile Testing Days. We discuss them, challenge them, sometimes laugh about them. But between sessions, meetings, and everyday responsibilities, there is rarely enough time to explore what they really mean for our profession and its future.

What if we took that time?

In March 2026, José Díaz brought together nine experienced practitioners from the software testing community in Pruggern, a small village nestled in the Austrian mountains: Alexandra Schladebeck, Bart Knaack, Huib Schoots, João Proença, Linda van de Vooren, Lisi Hocke, Maaike Brinkhof, Patrick van Enkhuijzen, and Rahul Verma.

Ten people. Different backgrounds, strong opinions, decades of experience, and one shared concern: Where is our profession heading, and what can we do to shape its future?

For three days, they left behind the usual conference schedules, daily meetings, and distractions. No packed agenda of presentations. No rushing from one session to the next. Just time and space to think, question, challenge, and debate.

Conversations continued during snowy hikes through the mountains, where fresh air and open landscapes offered room for new perspectives. Back at the house, discussions picked up again over freshly brewed coffee and shared meals. Ideas were exchanged, assumptions challenged, and conversations carried on late into the evening.

It wasn't about agreeing on everything. It was about listening, questioning, and finding common ground despite different perspectives.

And out of those three days, the Pruggern Statement was born.

The people behind the Pruggern Statement – together in the Austrian mountains, March 2026.

What it’s about

The statement starts from a simple observation:

“Too often, we confuse writing code with building systems.”

It doesn't blame AI for the problems in our industry. Instead, it argues that AI is amplifying challenges that have existed for years, making them more visible and increasingly difficult to ignore.

It acknowledges the realities many of us face: tight budgets, demanding deadlines, organizational politics, and the constant pressure to deliver more with less.

But it also carries an important message: We are not powerless. The future of our profession is not something that simply happens to us. We can help shape it.

The statement highlights what the group believes matters most:

Sound engineering practices
Systems thinking
The impact of software on society
Critical thinking
Values and ethics, which “matter most when they are inconvenient”
Continuous learning
Purpose and well-being
The next generation, entering a profession that keeps hearing it has no future

Not a statement to consume, but a conversation

The Pruggern Statement was written by ten people, but it was never intended to belong to them alone, or exclusively to the Agile Testing Days community.

It is an invitation to everyone working in and around software development and testing.

To question assumptions. To challenge established ways of thinking. To reflect on our responsibilities, our values, and the kind of profession we want to be part of.

And perhaps most importantly, to continue a conversation that cannot be finished in three days in the mountains.

Read it. Share it. Discuss it with your team. Challenge it. Disagree with it. Add your own perspective.

Because the Pruggern Statement is not meant to be the final word. It is meant to be the beginning of a much bigger conversation.

Continue the conversation at Agile Testing Days 2026

At Agile Testing Days 2026 in Potsdam (16–19 November), we'll bring this conversation back to the community.

A panel discussion with the authors and dedicated Open Space sessions will give you the opportunity to challenge the ideas, contribute your own perspectives, and help shape what comes next.

Every attendee will also receive the Pruggern Statement as a large-format poster to take home, share with colleagues, and hopefully spark even more conversations.

Explore the Pruggern Statement

Download the Pruggern Statement

Download the Pruggern Statement Poster