From Spec to Implementation: A Step-by-Step Workflow

A practical workflow for turning an approved spec into a clean, testable implementation—from breaking down acceptance criteria into tasks to structuring your final PR, with AI as a guardrail-driven assistant.

You have an approved spec. Now what? This guide walks through the implementation workflow that keeps your code aligned with the spec from first commit to final merge.

Step 1: Break the Spec into Tasks

Decompose each acceptance criterion into one or more implementation tasks. Each task should be:

  • Completable in a single session (2–4 hours max)