Spec-Driven Development

Transform high-level goals into structured, traceable documentation before writing code.

Workflow Overview

Feature Request → Requirements → Design → Tasks → Implementation
                     ↓              ↓        ↓
              requirements.md  design.md  tasks.md

Three-Phase Process

Phase 1: Requirements Analysis

Convert goals into user stories with EARS acceptance criteria.

Output: requirements.md

• Product overview (vision, constraints, target users)
• User stories grouped by Epic
• Acceptance criteria using EARS notation
• Non-functional requirements
• Out of scope items

Phase 2: Technical Design

Create architecture based on approved requirements.

Output: design.md

• System architecture diagram
• Technology stack decisions
• Data models and schemas
• API specifications
• Component designs
• Security and deployment considerations

Phase 3: Task Implementation

Generate ordered, dependency-aware tasks linked to requirements.

Output: tasks.md

• Tasks grouped by phase
• Each task linked to requirement IDs
• Time estimates
• Status tracking (🔴🟡🟢🔵)
• Critical path identification
• Dependency mapping

EARS Notation Reference

Type	Pattern	Example
Ubiquitous	The system SHALL...	The system SHALL encrypt all data at rest
Event-Driven	WHEN [trigger], THEN...	WHEN user clicks Save, THEN system SHALL persist data
State-Driven	WHILE [state], the system SHALL...	WHILE in offline mode, the system SHALL queue requests
Optional	IF [condition], THEN...	IF user has premium, THEN system SHALL enable feature X
Unwanted	IF [condition], THEN... SHALL NOT	IF input invalid, THEN system SHALL NOT proceed

Execution Guidelines

1. Start with requirements - Never skip to design without clear requirements
2. Validate before proceeding - Get user confirmation at each phase
3. Link everything - Tasks → Requirements → User Stories
4. Keep documents separate - Don't merge into single monolithic PRD
5. Iterate - Documents evolve as understanding deepens

Templates

Detailed templates for each document:

• references/requirements-template.md - Full requirements structure
• references/design-template.md - Architecture and API patterns
• references/tasks-template.md - Task breakdown format

Quick Start

When user requests a new feature/project:

1. Ask clarifying questions about scope and constraints
2. Read references/requirements-template.md
3. Draft requirements.md with user stories
4. Review with user, iterate
5. Read references/design-template.md
6. Draft design.md with architecture
7. Review with user, iterate
8. Read references/tasks-template.md
9. Generate tasks.md with ordered implementation plan
10. Begin implementation phase by phase. When work at the phase level is completed, make sure to verify that all tasks for that item have been perfectly executed and test them