spec-driven-development

Spec-driven development is the practice of drafting a complete specification before coding to align stakeholders and reduce rework. Use it when starting new projects or features with unclear, ambiguous, or evolving requirements to establish a single source of truth.

To write a comprehensive spec template, document the Objective, Tech Stack, Commands, Project Structure, Code Style, Testing Strategy, and Boundaries. This structured specification serves as a living contract for planning, implementation, and validation.

The four-phase spec workflow works by sequentially moving through Specify, Plan, Tasks, and Implement phases. This process ensures that all architectural decisions are documented and verifiable before coding begins, reducing ambiguity and rework.

Spec-driven planning works for agile workflows by treating the specification as a living contract. It accelerates delivery by documenting evolving objectives, constraints, and acceptance criteria, ensuring stakeholders share a single source of truth throughout changes.

Yes, you can use spec templates for existing projects undergoing significant changes. Drafting a specification helps align stakeholders on new constraints and acceptance criteria, ensuring the modifications are documented and verifiable before implementation.

The main limitation of spec-driven development is the overhead of drafting comprehensive documentation for Objective, Tech Stack, and Boundaries. For small projects with immediately clear requirements, this extensive planning phase may introduce unnecessary friction and delay coding.