InfoQ has opened enrollment for the inaugural InfoQ Certified High-Performing Teams Program. Facilitated by Olimpiu Pop, an InfoQ Java Editor and InfoQ Podcast co-host, the five-week online cohort runs from November 17 to December 17, 2026. Live sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM CET. Enrollment costs $1,470.
The curriculum connects engineering team structure with delivery flow, ownership, AI-enabled work and measurement. Over the course of the program, participants build a target operating model for an engineering team.
From Team Design to Responsible AI
The opening week examines how structural, cultural and process decisions influence effective delivery. Participants identify bottlenecks and assess different ways to organize teams and workflows.
Week two addresses ownership and sustainable delivery flow. Participants investigate reliance on particular individuals or outside groups, then consider adjustments to responsibilities, infrastructure and processes.
In week three, the focus moves to AI agents in software delivery. Participants assess tasks suitable for delegation, decisions that still require human judgment, and the controls or artifacts needed to support agent use.
Week four considers engineering measurement as AI changes where delivery bottlenecks occur. The cohort compares metric frameworks and anti-patterns, examining which measures remain informative when output grows.
The final week combines responsible AI with completion of the operating model. It examines ethical and environmental implications of AI-enabled delivery and concludes with group capstone presentations.
Live Cohort Work and Certification
The small cohort brings together senior engineers and architects from different companies. Selected QCon talks and technical resources introduce each week’s work, providing a basis for comparing how team-design choices play out across systems, organizations and constraints.
Each week includes four hours of live collaboration across two sessions, plus a time-boxed exercise tied to a current team, delivery or operating-model decision. Participants report back on the changes they observed, the approaches that remained useful and the adaptations they needed.
Pop brings 20 years of experience in software architecture, engineering management and technology leadership. His previous roles include Solutions Architect, Engineering Manager and Chief Technology Officer, alongside his editorial and podcast work for InfoQ.
Sessions will not be recorded, supporting private, confidential discussion of participants’ organizational challenges. A private Slack channel supports continued conversation, while a shared Google Drive folder holds session materials.
Certification depends on consistent attendance, active involvement in live sessions and successful completion of the group capstone. The program page provides the full syllabus and participation requirements.