What a managed AI software factory does

An AI software factory is a production line for code: a request comes in, agents do a bounded step, checks run, and a person decides what merges. A managed software factory is that line run for you, instead of a toolkit you assemble and staff yourself. On this site, that offer is xSquad operating as your code factory.

What a software factory is

A software factory is a repeatable system for shipping software, with shared steps and a definition of done, rather than a one-off for every ticket. A code factory is the same idea named from the code. The dictionary page is what is a software factory. The station-by-station version is inside a code factory line.

xSquad uses that framing for software delivery: agents do production steps, and a person reviews what ships. That sentence is the definition post's description of the offer, and the offer itself is the code factory page.

What managed means on this site

Managed, here, means xSquad runs the line with you. It does not mean the merge happens with nobody reading it.

The code factory page describes the operating shape:

Agents open pull requests you can read.
A person reviews before code is merged. Nothing merges without your approval.
You add or remove agents as the workload changes.
The page's comparison table also says the factory manages its workflow, and it states a 24/7 execution capability.

The same page lists the quality layers it says the factory uses: agents follow your coding standards and patterns, automated tests validate functionality, QA agents test, reviews include your team, and a human developer gives final approval. It also says agents handle routine, well-defined development tasks, and that complex architectural decisions involve human developers with 10 or more years of experience. The agent swarm page says the same thing about supervision: human developers with 10 or more years of experience oversee the swarm, and a human reviews every pull request before it merges.

Services describes where this sits in an engagement. Custom squads usually take the shape of an agent swarm or a code factory, built around one process your team already runs by hand.

The code factory page is also plain about money. It does not publish a price comparison. Current plans go through the contact form.

What the line is used for

The code factory page names four uses, and each one still ends in review:

An MVP, where agents open pull requests and you review every one before it merges.
Feature work on a product that already exists, adding capacity as the workload changes.
Legacy work in the routine band: refactoring, migrations, and test coverage, with a person on the architecture.
A backlog, as parallel streams of reviewable changes rather than one person typing every ticket.

If a change cannot be fenced, it is not a routine station. The page's split is the one to keep: the factory handles execution, and humans keep the strategy.

How this differs from a dark factory

A dark factory, in software, is the lights-out version of the same line: agents run routine steps without a person at the keyboard. The name is borrowed from lights-out manufacturing. It is not a building with no owner. Review, merges, and irreversible actions still need a person. That distinction is the point of dark factory software development and of the definition.

A managed AI software factory can use that lights-out station for the routine step. The managed part is who operates the line and who is accountable for what merges. xSquad's pages put a human on the merge either way.

What you still own

You still own the approval, the architectural calls, and anything you cannot write a check for. Deploys, deletions, and product decisions are not a station you leave unattended because the draft looked clean. The code factory page's own cost answer is the commercial boundary: the difference it describes is the cost structure, a squad you scale against a fixed hiring overhead, and it does not publish a rate.

Where to read the offer

Start with the code factory page, then how agent swarms are deployed in your repo. The engagement shape is on services. To talk to the team, use contact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an AI software factory?

An AI software factory is a production line for changing software, with agents on the routine steps and a person on review. It is the software factory idea with agents as a station, not a chatbot that writes a snippet.

What is a managed software factory?

A managed software factory is that line operated for you. On this site, xSquad runs it as a code factory: agents open pull requests, and a person reviews before anything merges.

Is a dark factory the same as a managed software factory?

No. A dark factory means routine steps run without a person at the keyboard. A managed factory is who operates the line. Both still need a person on review and on the merge.

Who reviews the code?

A person does. The code factory page says nothing merges without your approval. The agent swarm page says a human reviews every pull request before it merges, and that human developers with 10 or more years of experience supervise the swarm.

Does xSquad publish a price for the factory?

No. The code factory page says it does not publish a price comparison. Current plans go through the contact form.

Can the factory be scaled up or down?

Yes, on the code factory page's own words: add agents when the workload grows and scale back when it drops. A human still reviews every pull request before it merges.