strongorange/functional-spec-author

Functional Spec Author

Write a functional specification that is grounded in reality, not guessed from fragments.

Workflow

1. Identify the document mode first.
   • AS-IS: document current behavior from the existing implementation.
   • TO-BE: document desired behavior for a planned feature or change.
   • AS-IS + TO-BE: document current state and the target state together when both are needed.
2. Ground in the codebase before writing.
   • Inspect FE entry points, state stores, API calls, controller/service paths, persistence, flags, and tests.
   • Prefer code and live config/data over stale docs.
   • Ask the user only for product intent or decisions that are not discoverable locally.
3. Separate verified facts from assumptions.
   • For AS-IS, write only behavior you can verify from code, config, data, logs, or explicit user confirmation.
   • For TO-BE, label desired behavior clearly and keep current behavior separate.
4. Use the team or repo template if one already exists.
   • If none exists, use references/spec-template.md.
5. Use one unified detailed functional-spec format for both AS-IS and TO-BE.
   • Keep the section order stable across documents.
   • Change the content by mode, not the structure.
   • Do not introduce a separate test-plan or QA section unless the user explicitly asks for it.
6. Fill the minimum decision-useful sections.
   • Purpose and background
   • Scope and exclusions
   • Actors, prerequisites, dependencies
   • User scenarios / use cases
   • Functional requirements
   • Business rules
   • UI and state transitions when relevant
   • APIs, events, and external dependencies
   • Data requirements
   • Error handling
   • Non-functional requirements
   • Open questions and risks
7. For AS-IS documentation, add an explicit current-gap section.
   • Record code/data mismatches, dead paths, stale flags, or policy drift separately.
   • Do not mix current behavior with intended behavior in the same requirement line.
8. For TO-BE documentation, add explicit compatibility notes.
   • Record migrations, rollout constraints, fallback behavior, and what must stay unchanged.
9. Include implementation traceability when the doc is code-grounded.
   • List the files, endpoints, tables, flags, and services used to verify the document.

Rules

• Use one requirement per line when possible: The system must ...
• Prefer concrete nouns and exact values over vague wording.
• Do not hide uncertainty. Put it in Open Questions or Risks.
• Do not guess details that can be discovered by reading the repo.
• Treat test scenarios and QA cases as a separate artifact by default.
• If the codebase contradicts older docs or UI labels, trust the implementation and record the contradiction explicitly.
• If the user asks for a saved document, prefer one of these filenames unless the repo already has a naming convention:
  • <feature>-functional-spec-as-is.md
  • <feature>-functional-spec-to-be.md
  • <feature>-functional-spec.md

Quality Bar

Before finalizing, read references/quality-checklist.md and make sure the document is:

• grounded in actual evidence
• complete enough for engineering and product review
• explicit about scope, rules, errors, and constraints
• clear about what is current truth vs planned change

Resources

• Template fallback: references/spec-template.md
• Review checklist and source basis: references/quality-checklist.md