Engineering Excellence (EngX): The Initiative and the First Cool Courses for Individuals and Teams Are Now Available on the External Market

Engineering Excellence (EngX) — what is it?

Engineering Excellence, or EngX, is an ambitious initiative that was born in 2014. Its goal was to provide the software engineers at EPAM with products, tools, and services that would enhance their software development performance. EngX is a trendsetter in the engineering industry, dedicated to fostering a healthy engineering culture based on extensive knowledge.

The creation of EngX was driven by multiple factors. There was a clear need for systematic approaches to improve software development performance and to address the everyday challenges of engineers, teams, and projects. Ensuring a healthy engineering culture was also a prime motivator. 

Now, EngX is a proven program that promotes best engineering practices throughout EPAM and is also delivered to a wide range of clients by EPAM’s engineers and others. It offers software engineers a Discovery Toolset comprised of the EngX Framework, Rapid Assessment, and EPAM Perf and Health. These tools establish the foundation for improving processes, monitoring key metrics, and identifying areas for improvement. EngX also offers a range of services, including Continuous Improvement Cycles, EngX Education, and the EngX Recreational Program, to drive continuous development and promote best practices. 

The program was recognized as the Best In-House Certification Program in 2021 and has received many other awards over the years.

EngX: the one-stop-shop for every engineer

The mission of EngX is to introduce the best engineering practices across EPAM and client organizations, consistently pursuing excellence in every aspect of the engineering process and culture. At its core, EngX aims to enhance the way that engineers, teams, and projects operate; striving to increase effectiveness and satisfaction. 

In its daily practice, EngX implements its mission by offering a variety of tools and services that address distinct functions in the improvement process. The EngX Framework and Rapid Assessment tools are used to identify areas that require improvement in terms of processes, team happiness, and skill gaps. The EPAM Perf and Health tool tracks and monitors key metrics per product and team, providing valuable data to guide improvement processes and measure results. 

EngX's 10-year journey

Looking back over EngX's 10-year journey, one of the biggest pivots has been the extension of an approach initially used only within EPAM, namely EngX enablement, to the external market. This evolution took the form of EngX Solutions, specific offerings designed for EPAM’s customers. The expansion reflects EngX's development from its early focus on improving engineering practices exclusively within EPAM, to its current role as a solution provider for external companies as well. EngX has also expanded its services, transitioning from a primary focus on online learning to offering SoDoTo (See one – Do one – Teach one) consulting.

Over its decade of operation, one of EngX’s primary achievements has been the creation of an engineering culture focused on excellence and continuous development within EPAM.

EngX's development path in the AI era integrates artificial intelligence into its established framework to optimize engineering outcomes. Its AI-Assisted Engineering Framework is a key component of this approach, blending AI with traditional engineering practices refined and improved during EngX’s 10 years of experience.

The EngX focus in the era of AI is to optimize outcomes and boost productivity at each step of the SDLC process. This is achieved through the use of the AI-Assisted Engineering Framework: interactive adoption dashboards, comprehensive AI training programs, continuous improvements, and customization based on client needs. 

The courses we developed have gradually become available beyond EPAM, and are now accessible to everyone.

EngX Code Review course

The EngX Code Review course is specifically designed for both individual programmers and teams seeking to enhance their code review processes. The course provides expert guidance to help participants establish efficient and impactful code review practices.

The course offers unsurpassed value, including:

• Revealing the benefits and objectives of code review;
• Debunking myths that can obstruct effective code review practices;
• Risk mitigation strategies associated with overlooking the code review process;
• Tailoring a code review strategy to suit specific needs;
• Mastering execution of code review through proven steps and procedures;
• Nurturing ethical code discussions;
• Cultivating constructive comments that advocate for knowledge sharing; and
• Selecting efficient code review practices, processes, and tools.

Each participant will gain enhanced professional development skills, increased confidence, and improved problem-solving abilities. From a team perspective, the course fosters collaboration, ensures code quality, and promotes continuous learning. For the client, the course means better product quality, minimized errors, and enhanced project success.

The curriculum for the course was selected to comprehensively cover all aspects needed to master code review. 

The course duration is six learning hours — a compact timeline that delivers maximum learning outcomes in the shortest possible time.

EngX AI-Supported Software Engineering course

EngX AI-Supported Software Engineering is a self-paced course that improves software development efficiency by integrating AI tools, GitHub Copilot, and ChatGPT. Designed for new and intermediate programmers, this course offers insights into artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models.

The course is tailored for developers using languages such as JavaScript, Java, Python, or C#. It highlights how GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT can benefit users’ daily tasks, discusses typical use cases, and includes training in prompt engineering (an overlooked yet crucial aspect of project documentation). The course also focuses on development testing, in-depth unit test experience, and creating test data.

This extensive course includes 5 modules, 14 theoretical lessons, and 9 practical tasks. It can be completed in approximately 7 hours 30 minutes, and results in enhanced coding abilities and streamlined development tasks.

GenAI Adoption for Engineering Teams course

The GenAI Adoption for Engineering Teams course is a 12-week program designed to help you integrate a generative AI toolkit into your product development processes to boost team performance and productivity. Tailored to your team's needs, the program covers key areas such as software development, quality engineering, and business analysis.

Teams will learn to generate and maintain code, implement third-party integrations, create test cases, and conduct automated testing. The program also helps with business analysis and optimizing application logic. It includes a precise rollout timeline (with overlapping stages for efficiency), and support from EngX experts in setting up the AI toolkit, training, and ROI assessments.

The program has already proved its success in more than 40 engineering teams, with productivity enhancements for those teams ranging from 15% to 50%. Ultimately, this program equips your team with a long-term strategy for sustained success with GenAI.