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ChrisMarshallNYHNSource author
Lessons learnedExperience excerpt · English

I've found that it's a balancing act; like so many things in software development

… I've found that it's a balancing act; like so many things in software development. We can't rush in, willy-nilly, but it's also possible to kill the project by spending too much time, preparing (think "The Anal-Retentive Chef" skits, from Saturday Night Live ). Also, I have found that "It Depends" is an excellent mantra for life, in general, and software development, in specific. I think having LLM-managed specs might be a good idea, as it reduces the overhead required to maintain them. [0] https://littlegreenviper.com/various/concrete-galoshes/

Original discussionSpec-Driven Development: The Waterfall Strikes Back191 source comments · at import
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liampullesHN

One of the biggest productivity improvements I've had as a developer was to make a habit of planning all my work upfront. Specifically, when I pick up a ticket, I break it down into a big bullet point list of TODOs. Doing it this way leads to a better design, to dealing with inter-ticket dependencies upfront, to clarifying the spec upfront (which yes, is part of your job as a senior developer), and most valuable of all it allows me to get into flow state much more regularly when I am programming. Its not a surprise to me that this approach also helps AI coding agents to work more effectively, as in-depth planning is essentially moving the thinking upfront. (I wrote more about this here: https://liampulles.com/jira-tickets.html )

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cushychickenHN

I for one really like developing and co-managing specs with an LLM. I think it’s a great conversational tool for evaluating and shaking out weak points in a design at an early phase.

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embedding-shapeHN

> Also, I have found that "It Depends" is an excellent mantra for life, in general, and software development, in specific. Yeah, agree! Also something like "moderation is key" or alike, as many things can be enjoyed but enjoy them too much, or do it too much, and it kind of stops being so effective/good. The Swedes even have a specific word for something that isn't too much, and isn't too little; "Lagom". Can be applied to almost anything in life, from TTD, to extreme programming, and "waterfall vs agile", or engaging in kinks, or consumption of drugs, or... I feel like things go bad when people either do nothing of something, or way too much. Finding the balance, the sweet-spot, that's where the magic happens.

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