Requirements-First Spec Workflow
Formalise a feature as testable requirements, then a validated design, then dependency-ordered tasks an agent can execute.
Description
Drive the build from a structured requirements document, then a design, then tasks. Write requirements as user stories with EARS acceptance criteria of the form 'when X, the system shall Y'. Generate a design with architecture and data models from those requirements. Break the design into tasks the agent runs, independent ones first. A design-first variant flips the order when the architecture is the hard part.
When to apply
Use this when a feature is complex enough that jumping to code loses requirements, and when you want acceptance criteria you can check implementation against. It suits regulated or interface-heavy work where 'the system shall' statements matter. Don't apply the requirements-first order when the architecture is the genuinely hard part; use the design-first variant then.
What it involves
- Gather requirements in EARS
- Generate the design
- Break into a dependency-ordered task list
- Run tasks in waves
- Check against acceptance criteria
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