3d • General discussion
!!! Spec-Driven AI-First Development (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, etc)
What is Spec-Driven Dev?:
Spec-driven AI development is a method where you write a detailed specification (PRD/Requirements/etc - the "what" and "why" of your software) upfront, and then AI coding tools use that spec as the source of truth to generate, test, and validate the actual code in more manageable pieces —so you're steering the AI with clearer intent. Note - @Doug Montgomery was an advocate for getting me to test these techniques, so special shout out required!
What is AI-First Dev?:
This is just terminology I like to use in my own little world. It's what I'd call "Vibe Coding" with much more intention, management and realistic expectations/understanding of the capabilities of current AI.
Why?:
Remember the hype of "context engineering"? I like to think of Context with AI being how much information the model can manage before it degrades in quality. And, as it happens, this is the biggest limiting factor when doing full (or nearly full) AI-coding. Spec-Driven Dev is just one of many techniques to manage context, or "context engineering."
How does it help with context?
Picture you have a destination and the choice between a maze of roads/highways/gas-stations and car to get there (Vibe Coding) or a train on tracks with stations (Spec Driven Dev). Through various techniques based on Software-Engineering principles, in Spec-Driven Dev we are trying to keep the LLM on tracks and limit the length it has to travel before resetting its context - think reducing distractions and increasing focus.
Problems?:
I actually have found the platforms I've tested (such as GitHub's Spec Kit) to be over-engineered (too advanced and bulky) for the scale of apps I've had to build for clients and myself. Imagine our previous destination example - there was a better chance I'd get to the destination with the car because the train was going so slow.
Hope?:
A simpler Spec-Driven Dev workflow has been serving me amazingly for the past couple of months of testing. Further, I've found it to be effective, not only in more my comfort zone (backend), it has yielded very impressive results in frontend designs as well! They have some pre-built lighter weight solutions out there I believe.
Comments/Questions?:
Below!
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!!! Spec-Driven AI-First Development (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, etc)
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