Vinod Khode, Senior VP & Group CIO, Varroc Engineering, showed how AI coding cut weeks of work into days, proving IT can be both faster and more trusted by business.
Vinod Khode, Senior VP & Group CIO, Varroc Engineering, demonstrated how AI coding reduced weeks of work to days, proving that IT can be both faster and more trusted by the business.
“Innovation is not about building the biggest systems. It’s about solving real problems fast, with the tools at hand.” Vinod Khode, Senior VP & Group CIO, Varroc Engineering
In an era where enterprise IT often struggles under mounting technical debt, scarce budgets, and relentless internal demands, Varroc’s Senior VP & Group CIO, Vinod Khode, is charting a different course. Speaking candidly at a recent keynote, Khode didn’t offer theory or grand forecasts; he shared lived experience: how his lean team used AI-driven coding tools to deliver applications in days instead of weeks, win credibility with business leaders, and prove that the future of IT agility is already here.
The Everyday Challenge of IT Debt
Khode began by highlighting a scenario familiar to CIOs everywhere: endless demands for bespoke applications, limited talent, tighter budgets, and frustrated business partners. “This is the reality we all live in,” he remarked. Large systems, such as SAP or PLM, may anchor core operations, but the real pain often lies in smaller, high-priority applications that require rapid delivery but consume disproportionate effort.
AI as the New “Trusted Associate”
Borrowing from pop culture, Khode compared AI-assisted coding to Circuit from the Bollywood classic Munna Bhai MBBS, a loyal companion always at your side. These tools empower developers, accelerating routine tasks without taking away their control.
But he went further. With what he called “wipe coding,” the role of IT shifts to simply describing the need, while AI platforms generate the solution, select the right tech stack, and even deploy it. “Think of it as James Bond’s ‘M’, the invisible force making everything work behind the scenes,” he explained.
From Pilot to Production: Real Results
Varroc’s journey began with small pilots. One early test of a critical HR application was estimated at 15 days of development. Using AI coding tools, Khode’s team delivered it in just one day, with room for business iterations.
The breakthrough encouraged bolder projects. A manufacturing plant in Pune faced penalties for a flawed product shipment process. Traditional estimates put the fix at six weeks. Khode’s team, working side-by-side with plant managers, built, tested, and integrated the solution within a week. “It wasn’t just faster, it was true agile co-creation,” he emphasized.
The Ripple Effect: Trust, Agility, and Strategic Value
Beyond cost savings and speed, Khode highlighted a subtler, but more profound, impact: business trust. When stakeholders see their priorities turned around in hours instead of months, IT shifts from a bottleneck to a strategic partner. “One of the biggest benefits is that business leaders now believe in us,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned against overuse. Not every problem calls for AI coding. Core ERP tasks, analytics, or low-code platforms remain better fits in many cases. Success, Khode stressed, comes from brilliant selection and close collaboration with subject matter experts.
Lessons for CIOs: The Prompt is the New Blueprint
Khode shared a key learning: the quality of prompts defines the quality of results. His team often crafted two-page prompts for applications, ensuring clarity, context, and precision in their writing. “Don’t think of it as a shortcut, it’s a new way of coding,” he advised.
His recommendation for peers: experiment boldly, but selectively. Pilot small, high-impact projects, involve business users early, and treat AI coding as a capability-building journey. As agentic AI matures, today’s experiments will prepare teams to ask sharper questions and evaluate vendor claims more effectively.
A Strategic Imperative, Not Just a Tool
For Khode, AI coding is not a fad; it’s a strategic enabler. “This is a fundamental shift happening in our industry. Please don’t shy away from it. Try it out. It won’t cost you much, but it will prepare you for what’s next.”
By combining speed with credibility, Varroc’s CIO has shown how even modest IT teams can leapfrog traditional bottlenecks. The message to CIOs is clear: in the race to stay relevant, AI isn’t just an accelerator; it’s a trust builder.