Beyond vibe coding: the case for spec-driven AI development
Summary
AI is transforming software development, but experts warn that without proper governance, productivity gains could lead to technical debt. Matthias Steiner advocates for spec-driven development, emphasizing structured specifications to enhance code quality and align engineering with business outcomes.
Key Insights
What is 'vibe coding' and how does spec-driven development differ from it?
Vibe coding refers to ad-hoc development approaches where AI agents generate code based on loose interpretations and common patterns without clear guidance. Spec-driven development (SDD) contrasts this by using executable specifications as the single source of truth. Instead of letting AI agents guess at requirements, SDD provides detailed, implementation-level specifications that define exactly how systems should work, including data structures, API contracts, and acceptance criteria. This structured approach eliminates ambiguity and ensures AI agents build what was actually intended rather than generic solutions based on training patterns.
How does spec-driven development help prevent technical debt when using AI coding agents?
Spec-driven development prevents technical debt by making specifications executable blueprints that drive implementation, testing, and maintenance throughout the software lifecycle. Rather than allowing AI agents to make ad-hoc architectural decisions during coding, SDD encodes architectural constraints, security requirements, and design system guidelines into the specification and technical plan upfront. This ensures new code integrates naturally with existing systems instead of becoming bolted-on additions. Additionally, the approach creates traceability—each task links back to specific requirements—and enables iterative refinement where teams can update specifications and regenerate code rather than accumulating legacy code that drifts from original intent.