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Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Preprint . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Spec-Driven Development: A Concise Overview — An English-Language Primer on a Methodology that Treats the Specification as the Primary Artifact

Authors: Tanaka, Hideki;

Spec-Driven Development: A Concise Overview — An English-Language Primer on a Methodology that Treats the Specification as the Primary Artifact

Abstract

This paper is a concise, English-language overview of Spec-Driven Development (SDD), a software development methodology that treats the specification as the primary artifact—the living documentation itself—from which code and tests are derived, with humans determining intent and AI and tools performing generation. SDD is systematized in the Japanese book "Spec-Driven Development: A Practical Introduction" (Nikkei BP, 2026); because that full treatment is currently available only in Japanese, this primer is intended to give English-speaking readers the foundation needed to follow it—and, in particular, to serve as the foundation for a companion paper that proposes Spec-Driven Architecture. This paper summarizes SDD through its Three Technical Elements, its Four Principles, and its Seven Processes, and points readers to the book for the complete account.

Keywords

software development methodology, Spec-Driven Development, living documentation, large language models, specification as source of truth, AI-assisted development, Spec-Driven Architecture, software engineering

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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