Development Protocol

A document-driven development protocol with two decision gates that prevent goalpost drift before you commit to the full build.

Built by following the Development Protocol itself — a recursive self-completeness test.

The Pipeline

RAW INTENT
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              GATE 1: AMBITION                    │
│  Socratic back-and-forth until the goal          │
│  is falsifiable and both parties agree           │
│  Output: clear falsifiable hypothesis            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              RESEARCH (LANDSCAPE)                │
│  Map existing solutions, identify unknowns       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              GATE 2: PROTOTYPING                 │
│  Rapid throwaway prototypes → KILL/PIVOT/COMMIT │
│  based on evidence, not enthusiasm               │
│  Output: COMMIT decision → locked spec           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │ (if COMMIT)
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              EXECUTION (SPEC → RULES.md)         │
│  Locked spec → AI executes via governance        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              POLISH (HUMAN FINAL PASS)           │
│  Edge case hunt, quality gates, shipping         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              SPEC SYNC (NEW GATE)                │
│  Research-backed spec-to-code fidelity check     │
│  Forward & Lethbridge 2002, Fluri 2007,          │
│  Kruchten 2012: specs drift from code             │
│  without explicit management                      │
│  Output: as-built spec for next cycle             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼ (iterate or ship)

Contents

File	What it is
AMBITION.md	Gate 1 — Socratic dialogue to clarify intent
LANDSCAPE.md	Research protocol — map what exists
VALIDATION.md	Gate 2 — rapid prototyping with KILL/PIVOT/COMMIT
SPECIFICATION.md	Locked plan-IS-spec template (7 sections)
EXECUTOR.md	AI execution handoff with autonomy levels
POLISH.md	Human final pass after AI execution
RULES.md	Core protocol governance (v2.2.0)
METHODOLOGY.md	Post-project retrospective
PLAYBOOK.md	Infrastructure checklist

Origin

Generated by following the Development Protocol (v2.1) through its PREP PHASE on itself — producing a refined version that centers the prototyping gate as the key innovation. July 2026.