Codevelopment

Documentation-Driven Development (DDD)

Development Approach

The Documentation-Driven Development (DDD) workflow is optimized for collaboration between human developers and AI coding assistants:

• Documentation Structure: The /docs directory contains specifications, architecture decisions, and implementation plans
• Rational Product Flow: Planning documents feed directly into development tasks with clear traceability
• AI-Friendly Context: Structured documentation provides AI assistants with comprehensive project understanding

This approach improves development consistency and facilitates effective collaboration regardless of whether tasks are performed by humans or AI agents.

Documentation Structure

• planning/ - Strategic planning documents
  • Roadmaps, project plans, and timelines
  • Development priorities and milestone tracking
  • TODO lists and implementation plans
  • Strategic recommendations and design principles
• specifications/ - Detailed technical specifications
  • Feature specifications and requirements
  • Data models and schemas
  • Integration protocols
• architecture/ - Architectural documentation
  • System architecture diagrams
  • Component relationships
  • /adr - Architecture Decision Records
    • Documented decisions with context and consequences
• guides/ - User and developer documentation
  • /user - End-user documentation
    • Installation instructions
    • Usage guides and tutorials
    • CLI reference
  • /dev - Developer documentation
    • Contributing guidelines
    • Development environment setup
    • Code organization
• api/ - API documentation
  • Function and module references
  • Integration examples
  • API schemas and usage

Documentation Workflow

1. Specification Phase
   • Create feature specifications in /specifications
   • Document architectural decisions in /architecture/adr
   • Define requirements and acceptance criteria
2. Planning Phase
   • Develop implementation plans in /planning
   • Break down features into actionable tasks
   • Establish timelines and priorities
3. Development Phase
   • Reference specifications during implementation
   • Update API documentation as code evolves
   • Document developer guides for new components
4. Release Phase
   • Finalize user documentation in /guides/user
   • Update README and quick-start guides
   • Document any changes to APIs or behaviors

Contributing to Documentation

When adding or updating documentation:

1. Follow the established directory structure
2. Use Markdown formatting consistently
3. Link related documents where appropriate
4. Keep API documentation synchronized with code changes
5. Update the relevant README files when adding new documents

Converting Documentation to Tasks

To facilitate product development flow:

1. Specifications can be converted to GitHub issues
2. Implementation plans can be broken down into milestones
3. Architecture decisions provide context for technical approaches
4. User guides inform testing and validation criteria