Spec-First Workflow for AI Agent Teams
A five-stage spec-first workflow for teams running AI coding agents: spec packets, bounded tasks, write scopes, evidence gates, and PR review that scales.
Topic: Process
A focused archive of Process articles for spec-first teams.
MCP Server API Contracts for AI Agents
Write API spec contracts for MCP servers: input schemas, output shapes, error taxonomies, idempotency flags, and versioning that AI agent clients can rely on.
OpenSpec vs Superpowers vs Spec Kit: SDD Patterns
Compare OpenSpec vs Superpowers vs GitHub Spec Kit through practical SDD patterns: specs, plans, tasks, tests, review gates, and evidence.
AI Coding Spec Packet Before Code Generation
A copy-ready packet for giving AI coding tools a bounded task, acceptance criteria, file ownership, tests, and review evidence before code generation starts.
Spec Skills and Spec-First Delivery
See how Spec Skills fits spec-first delivery through constrained prompts, spec injection, boundary enforcement, and reviewable AI output.
AI Coding Governance with Spec-Driven Prompts
Govern AI-assisted coding with spec-driven prompts: define scope, boundaries, evidence, and audit trails before generated code reaches review.
AI Coding PR Review with Acceptance Criteria
Review AI-generated pull requests against acceptance criteria: inspect the diff, run evidence checks, and catch failures a quick skim misses.
AI Coding Risk Register Before Merge
Use a pre-merge risk register for AI-generated code: flag auth, data, contract, migration, rollback, and observability risks.
AI Coding with Test-Evidence Gates
Use test-evidence gates for AI-generated code: require meaningful tests before merge and catch hallucinated implementations before release.
Contract Testing Plan: From OpenAPI to CI
Add contract testing from OpenAPI to CI with generated tests, provider checks, consumer expectations, and reliable fixtures.
Event-Driven Systems: Specification Patterns
Specification patterns for event-driven systems: schema versioning, command vs fact events, orchestration choices, idempotent handlers, and replay safety.
Rollout and Rollback Design for High-Risk Releases
Design high-risk releases with stop-loss metrics, rollout windows, rollback types, ownership, monitoring, and evidence that teams can use under pressure.
Writing Edge Cases That QA Can Actually Test
Write edge cases QA can execute with concrete inputs, starting states, expected outputs, failure paths, and examples that turn vague risks into tests.
10 Common Mistakes in Software Specifications
Avoid ten specification mistakes that hide decisions, blur acceptance criteria, skip failure paths, and push scope arguments into implementation.
How to Adopt Spec-First in a Team (30-Day Plan)
A 30-day adoption plan for Spec-First: choose the first workflow, set a review threshold, and measure whether rework drops.
PRD vs Technical Spec: What's the Difference?
PRD vs Technical Spec: What's the Difference becomes clearer when the team makes the hidden decisions visible before coding starts.
Quality Gates for AI-Assisted Development Specs
Quality gates for AI-assisted code: pre-prompt spec checks, diff review, test evidence, and human sign-off before generated code ships.
Spec Review Checklist Before Coding
Use this pre-coding review checklist to separate blockers from preferences, record accepted risks, and attach test evidence before implementation begins.
What Is Spec-First Development? (Complete Guide)
What is spec-first development? A complete guide to surfacing hidden decisions about scope, contracts, edge cases, and acceptance criteria before coding starts.