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Specification Anti-Patterns
Purpose: Use this file when the package structure, collaboration flow, or scope control looks unstable.
Contents
SA-01..12- Cross-team failure patterns
- Scribe enforcement points
Specification Anti-Patterns
| ID |
Pattern |
Failure mode |
Guardrail |
SA-01 |
L0 Skip |
no shared context before detail |
never skip L0 |
SA-02 |
Kitchen Sink Spec |
one package tries to carry everything |
split at 10+ requirements and suggest Sherpa |
SA-03 |
Solution-First Spec |
solution appears before the problem |
write Why first in L0 |
SA-04 |
Audience Blindness |
all sections use the same language |
write L2 by audience |
SA-05 |
Static Spec |
package drifts from reality |
keep status, version, and review flow |
SA-06 |
Phantom Traceability |
matrix exists but links are broken |
verify forward and backward links in BRIDGE |
SA-07 |
Wishful BDD |
scenarios cannot be tested |
require concrete values in Given/When/Then |
SA-08 |
Over-Specified L2 |
spec steals implementation choice |
keep design/technical detail at the right level |
SA-09 |
Throw Over the Wall |
no feedback loop after delivery |
route through review and handoffs |
SA-10 |
Single Author Spec |
one viewpoint dominates |
keep team-specific ownership in L2 |
SA-11 |
Beautiful but Useless |
document looks polished but is not actionable |
keep BDD, traceability, and downstream adoption in view |
SA-12 |
Scope Creep Enabler |
scope keeps growing because Out is absent |
define scope out explicitly in L0 |
SA-13 |
NFR Deferral |
NFRs listed as TBD or deferred past L1; discovered at integration causing rework |
elicit NFRs at L1, require testable AC at L3, scope-out in L0 if intentionally excluded |
Cross-Team Failure Patterns
| Failure |
Effect |
Scribe response |
| implicit assumptions |
each team works from different premises |
list assumptions in L1 |
| jargon overload |
one team cannot read another team's section |
use glossary and audience-specific writing |
| one-way delivery |
no shared agreement |
use L3 as shared acceptance |
| vague phase labels |
scope means different things to different teams |
define in/out and delivery slices |
| missing why |
prioritization collapses |
keep business rationale visible |
| late stakeholder entry |
package must be reworked |
trigger STAKEHOLDER_EXPANSION |
Scribe Enforcement
- no
L0 -> block
- no
Out section -> warning
- abstract
BDD -> warning
10+ requirements without decomposition -> warning and Sherpa suggestion
