Inside RUBICON IT GmbH: How Coaching Architecture, Agile Releases, and a Real Error Culture Power Long-Lived Products

What we heard in the session—and why it matters to engineers

In the session “Dagmar Pill, Abteilungsleiterin & Sabine Eder, Abteilungsleiterin bei RUBICON IT” (Speaker: Dagmar Pill & Sabine Eder, Company: RUBICON IT GmbH), two department heads opened up about how their teams build and evolve standard products end to end. The picture that emerged is both practical and compelling: tight alignment with product and project teams, architects who coach rather than command, a sparring culture to validate ideas early, deep involvement in recruiting and onboarding, and a quality mindset grounded in feedback and retrospectives.

Most notably, both teams focus on long-lived standard products and the work it takes to keep them “young.” That requires disciplined delivery, continuous renewal, and a culture that turns errors into improvements. For developers, testers, and architects who want to own their work from requirement to release—and who value learning alongside delivery—this environment checks a lot of boxes.

Two product pillars: Remotion and Document Partner

The conversation centered on two engineering groups: the Remotion development team with its software architecture responsibilities, and the Document Partner product team.

• The Remotion team is responsible “for the complete development process,” up to delivery to product teams. Close alignment with product and project teams is non-negotiable so that “we really meet the requirements” those teams need. The software architect supports not only this department but also other product and project teams with cross-cutting expertise.
• Document Partner is developed “from beginning to end,” starting with roadmap requirements as well as customer input, moving through delivery and even installation. The dev team mixes senior and junior engineers, supported by a test team. The architect works as a coach—no hierarchy asymmetries, no top-down behavior—just partnership in action.

Both departments emphasize that they are not doing custom projects; they are building standard products meant to last. That sets the bar for quality, stability, and modernization. As Sabine Eder summed it up, products should “mature without aging”—steadily improved, never left to stagnate.

Team design: Architects as coaches, sparring over silos

The team setup deliberately encourages broad knowledge, shared ownership, and high standards:

• Architects act as coaches. There are “no asymmetries” and “no top-down approach.” Decision-making grows from collaboration, not command.
• Sparring is the default: “As soon as someone in the team has an idea, they look for a sparring partner to verify, test, and evolve it.” This improves solution quality and reduces risk.
• No knowledge islands: Frequent exchange means the team “grows and organically acquires more knowledge,” spreading that knowledge across RUBICON.
• Lead by expertise: When new features align with someone’s specialist area, that person becomes “federführend” (lead) on the topic—formal titles take a back seat to expertise.

Together, these patterns create a learning system that scales quality and invites initiative—without losing cohesion or clarity.

Agile end-to-end delivery: Sprints, releases, and prioritized backlogs

The Remotion team works in sprints, and several sprints make up a release. During each release cycle, they tightly coordinate with product representatives so the backlog remains prioritized according to what teams need and when they need it.

Likewise, the Document Partner group begins with the right inputs: roadmap priorities and customer needs. The goal is consistent—deliver “in time and on budget” by building the right things, not just more things. This blend of close collaboration and full life-cycle responsibility drives predictable outcomes and dependable quality.

Quality as culture: Feedback and error handling done right

A consistent thread through both departments is how they treat feedback and errors—not as disruptions, but as opportunities to improve.

This is anchored in a high quality bar for the software itself. Retrospectives, open discussion, and the expectation that mistakes will be acknowledged and examined help individuals and teams get better over time. It’s how you achieve strong releases without calcifying or slipping into blame games.

Onboarding that accelerates: Buddy and pairing from day one

New hires “are never left alone.” RUBICON backs that promise with structures that make a difference:

• Buddy system: Every newcomer gets an experienced buddy who is not the manager. This ensures a “personal exchange … without inhibitions,” so anything can be asked without fear.
• Technical pairing: An experienced peer pairs on the technical side, which helps newcomers quickly take on their own tasks—“and see early wins” that raise motivation.

Education and internships: Learning in a production-grade environment

The Remotion team invests heavily in educating students through internships. The team values ongoing learning, and staying close to student projects keeps everyone in touch with new technologies. At the same time, the department owns delivery commitments—so mentoring and shipping must align.

• Students work “in a professional environment,” gaining a genuine preview of what’s ahead in their careers.
• Team members are encouraged to deepen specialty areas: each person can “intensify services in specific domains,” take the lead on concepts, drive their learning, and share knowledge across the service.

This system cultivates talent at both ends—junior growth and senior depth—without letting delivery slip.

Recruiting by the team, for the team: Honest, specific, and collaborative

These departments are deeply involved in hiring—not as a formality, but as a practice.

• Job postings are crafted together with HR and intentionally “very individual”—no generic boilerplate. The content “comes from the team” and reflects who they are.
• For recruiting activities (like career days at universities of applied sciences), HR invites direct participation. Team members show up to answer questions “honestly” about how work actually runs.
• Interviews are “not conducted by HR.” Once applications arrive, the team organizes the sessions and participates directly. The goal is to see whether the “chemistry” is right—socially, technically, and culturally.
• Conversations include not only managers but also colleagues from the team who can share day-to-day realities and assess fit.

This approach reduces mismatches and sets expectations clearly—for candidates and the current team alike.

Technologies and initiatives: .NET, React, TypeScript, SignalR—plus automation and community

The tech stack is rooted in Microsoft technologies and rounded out with modern frontend and test tooling:

• Core in .NET and .NET Framework
• Frontend/real-time with React, TypeScript, SignalR
• Documentation and test automation with SpecFlow and Playwright—for example, a new screenshot automation used in documentation, driven by their test and documentation expert

Innovation doesn’t stay siloed. “We carry it out into RUBICON for other teams so that they can benefit.” That includes both new technologies and the lessons learned implementing them.

A “fountain of youth” for Document Partner

The Document Partner team runs an initiative literally called “Document Partner Jungbrunnen” (fountain of youth). Colleagues contribute ideas and innovations, the team evaluates and tests them, and then new features are deliberately built with new technologies. It’s a pragmatic framework for modernization within the constraints of a living product.

Working with Microsoft

Because Document Partner automates based on Microsoft Office and the teams rely on .NET/.NET Core, there’s tight coordination with Microsoft. The teams review early developments and provide feedback back to Redmond.

Another example of external visibility: “One of our developments will be presented in January at the ASB.NET Stand-Up,” prepared “in close coordination with Microsoft.”

Open source: ReMotion on GitHub

The department shares its ReMotion framework “as open source on GitHub.com,” contributing to the broader community rather than building behind closed doors. For engineers, that’s a signal of practical openness and a chance to engage beyond internal repositories.

Collaboration that sticks: Support proximity and earned responsibility

One notable practice is how engineers engage with product support. “Fundamentally, all our employees support our product support” so customers are helped effectively in real usage. This keeps development close to the realities of deployment and operations. It’s a powerful loop: issues don’t get thrown over the wall; they inform prioritization, raise quality, and sharpen product thinking.

Why engineers should pay attention

From a DevJobs.at editorial lens, the setup at RUBICON IT GmbH is highly attractive if you value meaningful work and clear learning paths. Concrete reasons to consider joining these teams include:

• End-to-end ownership: From requirements to delivery and even installation—ship real product, not just tickets.
• Coaching architecture: Architects act as coaches; expertise leads without command-and-control.
• Agile with focus: Sprints feed releases; backlogs are prioritized with product representatives—work that moves the needle.
• Feedback and error culture: Mistakes fuel retrospectives and improvements—paired with a high quality bar.
• Accelerated onboarding: Buddy and pairing systems deliver early wins and real tasks immediately.
• Sparring as a norm: Validate and evolve ideas with peers—better solutions, fewer blind spots.
• Purposeful learning: Internships inside real product teams, specialization tracks, concept leadership for subject-matter experts.
• Solid stack and modern tooling: .NET, .NET Framework, React, TypeScript, SignalR, SpecFlow, Playwright—and Microsoft Office integration for Document Partner.
• External impact: Collaboration with Microsoft, community contributions (open source ReMotion), and presentations (e.g., ASB.NET Stand-Up).
• Team-led hiring: Honest previews, peer involvement in interviews, and real attention to cultural fit.

Practical takeaways for tech leaders

What Dagmar Pill and Sabine Eder shared also serves as a checklist for running robust product engineering in a standard product context:

• Long-lived products need structured renewal: Initiatives like “Jungbrunnen” institutionalize modernization without pausing delivery.
• Quality is cultural, not just procedural: Feedback, error acceptance, and retros make quality sustainable.
• Proximity to support is a competitive advantage: Real-world usage informs better prioritization and sturdier solutions.
• Rethink architecture roles: Coaching architects amplify teams more than directing architects.
• Treat onboarding as strategy: Buddies, pairing, and early tasks shorten time-to-impact.
• Let hiring reflect how you work: Team-led interviews and honest previews prevent misalignment.

Closing: Mature without aging

The session “Dagmar Pill, Abteilungsleiterin & Sabine Eder, Abteilungsleiterin bei RUBICON IT” (Speaker: Dagmar Pill & Sabine Eder, Company: RUBICON IT GmbH) shows how RUBICON IT GmbH builds and evolves standard products with an eye for longevity and youthfulness: agile sprints rolling into releases, architects who coach, a real feedback and error culture, and deliberate knowledge sharing. Add to that serious onboarding and education, team-driven recruiting, and visible contribution to the wider Microsoft and OSS ecosystems, and you have a workplace where engineers can learn, lead, and ship.

For tech talent who want to take ownership, sharpen expertise, and help long-lived products stay young, this is an environment where you can become “federführend” on the things that matter—together with a team that values chemistry, quality, and continuous renewal.

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