# Spec

Concept · [Building with AI](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ai)

Also called: specification, specs, spec doc

A written description of what is being built and why, for work too big to finish in one [session](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/session). It describes the goal rather than every step, and it is usually split into smaller [tickets](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/backlog). A clear spec is one of the most useful things a [founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/founder) can hand an [agent](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ai-agent) or a [contractor](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/contractor-vs-employee).

**For example:** Before a weekend of AI-assisted building, a [founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/founder) writes a two-page spec for the booking feature and splits it into six [tickets](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/backlog).

## Connects to (9)

- [Backlog](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/backlog): The running list of new abilities, fixes and ideas waiting to be worked on, usually in order of priority.
- [User story](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/user-story): One short sentence describing something a user needs to do and why, written from their point of view.
- [Scope](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/scope): The agreed list of what a project will include and what it will not.
- [Handoff artifact](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/handoff-artifact): The written document that carries a handoff, produced by one session for another to read.
- [Grilling](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/grilling): Having an agent question you one decision at a time until the plan is clear, before any building starts.
- [Design concept](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/design-concept): The shared picture of what is being built, held by you and by the agent, separate from any document or code.
- [Product requirements document](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/product-requirements-document): A document that explains what a product or feature should do, for whom and why, so the team agrees before building.
- [Handoff](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/handoff): Passing work from one session to the next, or from one agent to another, so the new one can continue without the full history.
- [AFK](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/afk): Short for away from keyboard.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/spec