Bite-Sized Workshop: Dogfooding as a Design Decision, and What It Forces You to Fix

On 13th October 2026, Enterprise@APU successfully hosted the Bite-Sized Workshop: Dogfooding as a Design Decision, and What It Forces You to Fix. Held at the APU Campus from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM, the session provided students with an insightful look into how operating a company on its own product, a practice known as “dogfooding”, serves as a fundamental design decision that removes self-deception and builds reliable software systems.

The workshop was led by Mr. Pavel Piankov, Founder of Obsta Labs Pte. Ltd., Singapore. Mr. Pavel introduced participants to Obsta Labs, a venture operating alongside a fleet of AI agents using two primary systems: Hiveram, an external ledger record of work, and NeuroRouter, a boundary controller for AI models. Drawing from his practical software engineering experience, he shared how using your own product to run daily operations forces teams to confront hidden edge cases and resolve structural flaws under real-world conditions.

Throughout the session, Mr. Pavel emphasized a core principle in software and AI governance: “The AI cannot mark its own work done.” He detailed the five essential pillars of a complete work record (Authorisation, Execution, Verification, Closure, and Accountability), explaining that verification must always be performed by an independent verifier or “judge” rather than the worker or agent executing the task. To demonstrate these concepts, Mr. Pavel shared real-world case studies from Obsta Labs’ own development ledger, showing how unintended automated sweeps, identity conflicts in code verification, and silent system failures forced permanent, structural fixes.

Mr. Pavel also provided a forward-looking perspective on tech careers and the evolving software landscape. He highlighted that while memory and computation are becoming abundant through AI tools, directional clarity, setting strict operational boundaries, and evaluating evidence over status reports are becoming the most critical skills for future engineers.

Participants completed the workshop equipped with practical strategies for setting human-in-the-loop safeguards and managing verifiable workflows, complete with an exclusive trial offer to test Hiveram for their own projects. Enterprise@APU remains committed to delivering impactful workshops that bridge academic learning with hands-on, real-world skills, empowering students to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving technology and business landscape.