spec-driven-development

It standardizes the software development lifecycle by mandating structured specifications and technical plans before implementation, ensuring alignment between human intent and code to prevent architectural drift and scope creep.

You prevent scope creep by enforcing a gated workflow with four phases: Specify, Plan, Tasks, and Implement. This requires explicit human validation at each checkpoint to define clear acceptance criteria and technical boundaries.

You create a technical plan by defining project goals, tech stacks, project structure, and success criteria in a standardized specification document. Break down implementation into iterative tasks following human validation of the plan.

Yes, specification-driven development facilitates TDD and architectural decision-making by breaking down complex features into structured specifications and iterative execution tasks before writing code, ensuring technical boundaries are defined.

Yes, the workflow requires explicit human validation at each of the four development checkpoints: specification, planning, task breakdown, and iterative execution, ensuring adherence to defined project documentation standards.

Avoid this workflow for simple tasks lacking complex feature development or architectural decision-making requirements, as the mandatory structured specifications and gated human validation process introduces overhead suited for preventing ambiguous requirements.