spec-driven-development

Spec-driven development creates structured specifications before coding to prevent ambiguous requirements. Use it for project starts, architectural decisions, multi-file features, and tasks expected to take more than thirty minutes to prevent costly rework.

To create a specification, draft a spec covering the objective, executable commands, project structure, code style, testing strategy, boundaries, success criteria, and open questions to align stakeholders before implementation begins.

The gated four-phase workflow sequences tasks through Specify, Plan, Tasks, and Implement phases with human review gates at each phase to avoid premature implementation and ensure engineers agree on what done means.

Break down project plans by decomposing them into small, testable tasks with explicit acceptance criteria and verification steps. This task decomposition ensures each implementation piece meets defined success criteria before moving forward.

A specification document is not necessary for small code changes. This approach applies to multi-file features, architectural decisions, and tasks expected to take more than thirty minutes where ambiguous requirements could cause costly rework.