/specification-writing

name: specification-writing
description: Write feature specifications as requirements and user stories with acceptance criteria, focusing on business value and testable conditions.
allowed-tools: Read, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebFetch, WebSearch, Agent, AskUserQuestion
graph:
  domains: [domain:software-engineering]
  skillAreas: [skill-area:agentic-loops, skill-area:orchestration-loop]
  workflows: [workflow:feature-development]
  topics: [topic:developer-experience]
  roles: [role:tech-lead, role:backend-engineer]

• Formalizing vague feature requests into structured requirements
• Clarifying scope boundaries for a feature area
• Establishing acceptance criteria for user stories

Key Principle

Specifications describe desired behavior from the user's perspective. They define **what** the system should do, not **how** it should be built. Business value must be explicit in every requirement.

Process

1. **Elicit requirements** - Extract functional and non-functional requirements from feature description 2. **Write user stories** - Author stories in standard format with personas 3. **Define acceptance criteria** - Testable conditions for each story (Given/When/Then) 4. **Identify edge cases** - Error scenarios and boundary conditions 5. **Clarify gaps** - Surface and resolve ambiguities and contradictions 6. **Document assumptions** - Make implicit assumptions explicit 7. **Define scope** - Clearly delineate in-scope vs. out-of-scope 8. **Human review** - Approve specification before planning

Tool Use

Invoke via babysitter process: `methodologies/spec-kit/spec-kit-specification` Full pipeline: `methodologies/spec-kit/spec-kit-orchestrator`