For the person waiting on someone else to build it

Understanding Software Development Processes and Tools (in the age of AI)

Build the thing yourself, or hand it off so it actually gets built.

A twelve week programme for marketers and product people who want to use AI tools to develop real, working software. No coding background needed.

Next intake: 17 September 2026 · $450 · NZQA Level 8

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Why This Programme?

Dave Parsons and Roy Davies lead the programme, with guest experts across the twelve weeks. You work through real projects, using the same AI-assisted process professional developers use today, from the first idea through to something live.

For marketing leaders


You already own the data and the story. This gives you the tools to build the thing yourself, instead of waiting on someone else's roadmap.

For product owners


You already think in requirements and outcomes. This gives you the technical grounding to build a working version before it ever reaches engineering.

For DT graduates


You already have AI fluency. This is the next step, from using AI tools to building real, working software with them.

Your Educators & Advisors

Dave Parsons and Roy Davies lead the programme, with guest experts joining across the twelve weeks.

Dr. David Parsons

Dr. David Parsons is one of the world's most published researchers on technology and learning, with over 200 publications and several books. His work focuses on how AI and digital tools reshape education and on building practical frameworks that hold up in both classrooms and organisations.

Dr. Roy Davies

Dr. Roy Davies spent 12 years co-running a Virtual Reality research centre in Sweden, where his team built one of the world's earliest healthcare VR applications, helping brain injury patients relearn daily tasks. Back in Aotearoa, he co-founded Imersia, created the Reality2 mesh protocol and now focuses on "calm technology": systems built to serve people rather than compete for their attention.

Programme Structure

Phase 1

Decide What You Want to Build

Start with the problem you want to solve and the outcome you want to create. Learn how to define clear customer requirements so you know you’re building the right thing before you start.

Phase 2

Create the Prototype

Take your customer requirements and turn them into a working prototype using the same AI-supported process professional developers use today. Build something real enough to put in front of customers and test your idea.

Phase 3

Take It Further

Move beyond a prototype and learn how to make your idea real. Build the foundations for something that can be shared, handed off, improved, and grown into a more robust application or system.

What You'll Master

You can turn an idea into a working plan

Not a brief someone else interprets. A structured, buildable plan an AI tool can act on directly.


You can build something worth
testing

You'll go from a design to a working product that's actually live, not a mockup, not a demo, something real customers can try and react to.

You can hand off work that actually gets built

Either a live version customers are already using, or a prototype clear enough that a developer can build it properly and grow it across your business. You'll know how to talk to them so it actually happens.

Let’s get started!

Fees & Start Dates

Domestic Student Fees:

$450

International Student Fees:

Not available. Get in touch to learn more.

Available course start dates and session times:
  • 17 Sep 2026 - Thursdays, 5pm - 6:30pm

Duration: 12 weeks

Credential: NZQA Level 8, 15 credits (SDTP8000)

T&Cs apply. Check our FAQs for details.

Apply now

KEY INFORMATION

What you need to know

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