Spec-Driven Development for AI Software Factories

A methodology for building software where specifications are the executable input to an AI code generation pipeline. The factory model: specs are blueprints, AI agents are the assembly line, verification is quality control, and gates catch defects before they compound.

Pipeline Overview

INCEPTION → [SPECIFY] → REVIEW → [DECOMPOSE] → REVIEW → [IMPLEMENT] → REVIEW → [VERIFY] → DELIVER
                 ↑         ↑          ↑            ↑           ↑           ↑          ↑         ↓
            Phase 1    Gate 1    Phase 2       Gate 2    Phase 3      Gate 3    Phase 4   Gate 4

Each phase passes through a gate before the next begins. A defect caught at Gate 1 costs minutes to fix; the same defect found at Gate 4 costs hours.