2026-01-14

Document-Driven Development: From Chaos to Control in AI Coding

Use a three-layer document system (intent.md, spec.md, plan.md) to reduce rework by 40% and generate high-quality code with Claude.

When coding with Claude, have you encountered these problems?

  • Generated code is far from expectations
  • Multiple iterations still don't get it right
  • Larger projects become harder to control

The root cause: You're not giving AI enough context.

What is Document-Driven Development

Document-Driven Development (DDD) is a methodology where you write documentation first, then generate code. Through a three-layer document system, AI understands your intent, specifications, and plan, producing code that matches your expectations.

The Three-Layer Document System

1. intent.md - Intent Layer

Answers WHY & FOR WHOM

# Project Intent

## Vision
One sentence describing what problem this solves

## Target Users
Who will use this product

## Core Problem
What pain points users currently face

## Success Criteria
How do we measure success

## Non-Goals
What we explicitly won't do

2. spec.md - Specification Layer

Answers WHAT

# Product Specification

## Feature List
- Feature A: Description
- Feature B: Description

## User Journey
How users interact with the product

## Acceptance Criteria
Completion standards for each feature

## Non-Functional Requirements
Performance, security, availability requirements

3. plan.md - Plan Layer

Answers HOW

# Technical Plan

## Tech Stack
Technologies to use

## Architecture Design
How the system is organized

## Data Model
Data structure design

## Implementation Steps
Phased implementation plan

5 Steps to Get Started

  1. Create /docs folder - Create a documentation directory at project root
  2. Write intent.md - Clarify why and for whom
  3. Write spec.md - Define what and how users interact
  4. Write plan.md - Plan the technical approach
  5. Generate code - Let Claude generate code based on documentation

When to Use DDD

Highly Recommended:

  • New projects with unclear requirements (0 to 1)
  • Feature development requiring iteration
  • Team collaboration projects (docs as specs)
  • Complex SaaS applications

Can Skip:

  • Quick bug fixes (just fix it directly)
  • Prototype validation (not sure what to build yet)
  • One-off scripts (use and discard)

Real Results

After using DDD:

  • 40% reduction in rework time
  • Significantly improved code quality
  • Requirements no longer drift

Get Started

Visit Document-Driven Development Skill to get the complete Skill definition. Copy it to Claude and start using it.