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Working prototypes are replacing written specs. Specs get better when a prototype shows what they left out
- Practitioners writing up their own working method disagree about what should come before code.
- One argues that cheaper techniques should be exhausted before any code is written.
- Another argues that a prompt carrying its context beats a written specification outright.
- These posts were written independently, and the writers hold the tension open rather than resolving it.
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First seen 4 February 2026
If you are a PM
- Try one feature where the prototype replaces the spec, and note what the prototype leaves out. That gap is your spec.
- Cheaper checks before code still exist. Decide which questions an interview answers faster than a build.
- Your PRD becomes a companion note. Write down what still needs words: the decision, the tradeoff, the thing you chose not to build.
If you are a designer
- A working prototype carries the argument in review. Make sure it also carries the states a static frame would have shown.
- When engineers build from your prototype, the missing edge cases become their guesses. Write those down beside it.
- Choose which ideas still deserve a cheap sketch before anyone builds. Not every question needs a working version.