0001 - Use Spec-Driven Development

Status: Accepted Date: 2025-01-01 Author: Manuel Nucci

Context

As the Feel Pro Club project grows, we need a consistent approach to planning and implementing features. Without clear specifications:

• Requirements are often misunderstood or incomplete
• Implementation details are decided ad-hoc
• Testing coverage is inconsistent
• Documentation lags behind the code
• Task tickets become the de facto spec, but lack detail

We evaluated several approaches:

1. Code-first: Implement features, document later
2. Ticket-driven: Use task tickets as the source of truth
3. Spec-driven: Write detailed specs (PRDs) before implementation

Decision

We will adopt Specification-Driven Development where:

1. PRDs are written first - The PRD is created before any implementation begins
2. Specs live in a dedicated repository - fpc-docs contains all specifications, separate from the codebase
3. Specs are the source of truth - When there's ambiguity, the spec is authoritative
4. Acceptance criteria map to tests - Each AC in the spec should have corresponding tests

The workflow is:

Idea → PRD → Figma (optional) → Implementation → Tests

Consequences

Positive

• Clear requirements before development starts
• Better estimation since scope is well-defined
• Acceptance criteria directly map to test cases
• Documentation exists before the feature
• Stakeholders can review specs before development begins
• Reduced rework from misunderstood requirements

Negative

• Upfront time investment to write specs
• Specs can become stale if not maintained
• Additional repository to manage
• Requires discipline to follow the process

Mitigations

• Use templates to speed up spec writing
• Include changelog section in specs
• Review specs in standups to keep them current