spec-driven-development

Spec-first development prevents requirement drift by enforcing a documented specification chain. It requires artifacts like spec.md and plan.md before any code generation, ensuring implementations strictly follow written requirements instead of direct coding.

The spec to generate and review cycle is a feature development workflow where you write a spec.md, generate code from it via Claude Code, and then review and refine the spec before regenerating. This loop prevents direct coding and maintains discipline across code, tests, and documentation.

To generate code from a specification, create or update a spec.md file describing your feature, run the generation step to produce the code, then review and refine the specification before regenerating. This ensures the implementation strictly follows the documented requirements.

Spec-first workflows require artifacts like spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md, and checklist.md, plus Architecture Decision Records when needed. These files create an auditable, traceable chain across code, tests, and documentation generation.

No, this spec-driven development workflow prevents direct coding without a formal spec. All changes must originate from documented specifications to guide code generation via Claude Code, ensuring auditability and reproducibility throughout the feature development process.

Architecture Decision Records, or ADRs, should be included in your specification workflow when architecture decisions are needed during feature development. They are enforced artifacts alongside spec.md and tasks.md that support auditability and reproducibility for complex system changes.