Spec-driven development (SDD) is presented as the evolution beyond vibe coding, where developers write structured markdown specifications before implementation rather than iterating ad-hoc with AI agents. The author walks through building a fitness tracking web app in 4.5 hours using this methodology with Claude Code, covering the full workflow: creating a project constitution (mission, tech stack, roadmap), iterating through feature phases (plan → implement → validate), and replanning. Key benefits include preserved context across sessions, shared conventions, and decoupling of specification from implementation. GitHub's Spec Kit is also introduced as a ready-made SDD toolchain. The author concludes that SDD is overkill for small tasks but the right default for larger or collaborative projects, and notes the engineer's role is shifting toward architecture, review, and steering agents rather than writing code directly.
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