L5.1: The Full Spec-Driven Simulation
The Problem
You've run each part of the workflow separately. You haven't run the whole thing start to finish without scaffolding. The first time you do it without a lesson guiding each step is not the time to discover a step you never internalized.
The Solution
Run the full spec-driven cycle on a new feature. Unassisted. Time it.
The workflow you'll run:
Update constitution if needed →
/speckit.specify →
resolve [NEEDS CLARIFICATION] markers →
/speckit.plan →
/speckit.tasks →
Implement task 1 → Code Reviewer → mark done →
Implement task 2 → Code Reviewer → mark done →
Push to GitHub Issues → generate from Issue →
Compare to L1.1 baselineTreating this simulation as a demonstration. The point is not to show the workflow — it's to run it. Every step you skip or shortcut is a gap you'll hit on a real project.
Run every step, even the ones that feel unnecessary for a small feature. The workflow is meant to be fast for small features — the steps take minutes, not hours. If any step feels slow, that's a skills issue worth noting for later.
Exercise
The feature
Topic archiving: The user can mark a study topic as "archived" so it disappears from the active list but is not deleted. Archived topics can be unarchived.
This is a new feature — not one you've built yet. Run the full workflow on it.
Step 1 — Update the constitution (if needed)
Does "archiving" change any project-wide decisions? If yes, update memory/constitution.md. If no, note why not.
About time targets: The targets below are aspirational goals for participants already comfortable with the workflow — not minimums. If you're running a step for the first time, it will take longer. That's expected. The goal is to internalize the workflow, not hit the clock.
Time target: 2 minutes.
Step 2 — Create the feature spec
In Copilot Chat, enter:
/speckit.specify Topic archiving for the study plannerThen refine the generated specs/<feature-branch>/spec.md so it contains:
- One-sentence goal
- Acceptance criteria (at least 4, all verifiable)
- Out-of-scope items (at least 2)
- Definition of done
Time target: 4 minutes.
Step 3 — Plan and task breakdown
In Copilot Chat, enter these slash commands in sequence:
/speckit.plan File-based archiving, no soft-delete database layer
/speckit.tasksReview the output. Edit anything that's wrong.
Time target: 3 minutes.
Step 4 — Clarification pass
Review the generated spec and resolve or defer every [NEEDS CLARIFICATION: ...] marker before implementation.
Time target: 2 minutes.
Step 5 — Implement and review
Pick the first two tasks. For each:
- Agent Mode with the task as context
- Code Reviewer
- Mark done
Time target: 8 minutes (4 per task).
Step 6 — Compare
Look at your notes from L1.1 (the two runs) and L3.5 (the comparison sentences).
Now add a third data point — this simulation. Answer:
- Was the output more predictable than L1.1? By how much?
- Did you have to correct the output? If so, how many corrections vs. L1.1?
- How long did the full workflow take end-to-end?
Write these as three sentences. Keep them.
- Expected result: a measurable comparison between vibing (L1.1), assisted spec-driven (L3.5), and unassisted spec-driven (this simulation).
- Why this matters: this comparison is the primary evidence for the workshop's claim. You experienced it. The numbers are yours.
Checkpoint
- [ ] I completed all 6 steps of the simulation without skipping
- [ ] I have a feature spec, plan, tasks, and clarification pass for topic archiving
- [ ] I implemented two tasks with Code Reviewer on each
- [ ] I wrote the three comparison sentences
- [ ] I can run the spec-driven workflow end-to-end from memory
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