brainstorming

To create a design specification before implementation, you need a workflow that reviews project context, refines goals through step-by-step clarification, compares approaches, and secures approval before writing the spec. This prevents rushed build work by forcing a clear design phase.

The best way to brainstorm technical requirements is to inspect the current codebase and history, ask targeted questions one at a time to define constraints, and present viable design options with trade-offs. This scoped approach turns vague ideas into well-defined plans.

You prevent premature implementation by establishing a design approval gate that requires explicit user sign-off before any code or behavioral changes begin. This ensures goals are clarified and an approved design specification is documented first.

Yes, you can compare multiple design approaches by evaluating two to three viable options with their respective trade-offs and a recommendation. This comparison happens during the design phase, ensuring you select the right approach before writing the final spec.

Step-by-step clarification works by asking one question at a time to iteratively refine goals, constraints, and success criteria. This methodical approach ensures all requirements are thoroughly scoped before proceeding to approach comparison and spec writing.

After getting design approval, you should write the finalized design doc to a structured specs path and proceed to implementation planning. This handoff ensures the build phase follows a validated specification.