Shift-Left: Getting the Spec Right Before the Code

In software, “shift-left” means doing the important work earlier. The earlier you catch a problem, the cheaper it is to fix. We learned this with testing and later with security. The same idea now applies to specifications. And in the AI Unified Process (AIUP), it is the part that matters most.

Web Components Mean Less Code to Review (A Win for AI Built Business Apps)

When an AI agent builds a screen for you, the slow part is no longer writing the code. It is reviewing it. You have to read what the agent produced and decide if you trust it. The more code it writes, the more you have to read, and the more places a subtle mistake can [...]

Bug or Enhancement? How the AI Unified Process Handles Change Requests

In a spec-driven world, every change to the running system has a reason. Either the system does something it should not do, or we want it to do something new. AIUP captures this with two work item types that sit next to the main Use Case flow: Bug and Enhancement.

What, Harness, How: The Three Layers of AIUP

One of the recurring questions I hear about Spec-Driven Development is this: where does the spec end and the implementation begin? The line is often blurry. Specs leak into class names. Implementation choices sneak into use case descriptions. After a few weeks, nobody can tell anymore what is intent and what is accident.

AI Writes Code. Engineers Build Software.

With Claude Code and similar tools, I do not write much code by hand anymore. The AI does it for me. And most of the time, the result is good. For a moment this looks like the end of an era. If the AI writes the code, what is left for us? A lot. Just [...]

Why in Spec-Driven Development the Spec Must Be Readable for All Stakeholders

In Spec-Driven Development (SDD), the specification is at the center. It is not just a document for developers or architects. It is the shared foundation for everyone who works on the product. And here is the key point: if the spec is only understandable to technical people, SDD misses its purpose.

How and Why to Trace Use Cases and Tests

When you build business software, the same question keeps coming back: why does this code exist? The honest answer is almost always: because some business person needed it. A clinic user needs to register a new pet owner. An accountant needs to close the books. A clerk has to approve a request. Every line of code in a [...]

Use-Case 2.0: The Forgotten Practice That Solves What User Stories Can’t

Many teams today treat user stories as the only way to capture requirements. But there is an older, proven technique that scales better and provides something user stories lack: context. It is called Use-Case 2.0, and it deserves a second look, especially in the age of AI-assisted development.

Why Spec-Driven Development Tools Fail in the Enterprise

The spec-driven development (SDD) movement is gaining momentum. Tools like Amazon Kiro, GitHub Spec Kit, and BMad Method promise to bring structure to AI-assisted coding. And they deliver on that promise, as long as you start from scratch.

A Small App, a Complete Process: Demoing AI Unified Process with a Feedback App

When people hear about AI-assisted software development, they often imagine code generation first. I think that is the wrong place to start.

AI Tools for Developers Are Not Enough

Why are we putting so much energy into tools for the part of software development that is most likely to be automated? Why are we not building much more AI support for the rest of the software development lifecycle?

BMAD vs. Spec-Driven Development: Why AI Needs Better Specifications

AI is not only accelerating coding. It is shifting the center of gravity in software development. Implementation is becoming easier. Specification is becoming more important. Teams that continue to rely on vague requirements may generate code faster, but they will also generate incorrect behavior faster.