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technical-spec-template Creates structured technical specification documents that bridge product requirements and engineering implementation. Use when writing a tech spec, engineering spec, system design doc, or API specification. Triggers on "technical spec", "tech spec", "engineering spec", "system design doc", "API spec", "implementation spec".

Technical Spec Template Skill

Write technical specifications that engineers actually read — clear problem framing, unambiguous requirements, explicit decisions, and documented trade-offs.

When to Write a Tech Spec

Write a tech spec when:

  • The feature requires changes to 2+ systems
  • There are significant architectural decisions to make
  • More than one engineer will work on the implementation
  • The feature has security, privacy, or compliance implications
  • Estimated effort is >5 story points

Skip the spec for trivial bug fixes or 1-2 hour changes.


Technical Spec Output Format

Technical Specification — [Feature Name]

Author: [Name] Status: Draft | In Review | Approved | Implemented Created: [Date] | Last Updated: [Date] Reviewers: [Eng Lead, Architect, PM, Security if needed] Related PRD: [Link] | Jira Epic: [Link]


1. Problem Statement

[23 sentences. What problem are we solving and why now? No solution language here.]

2. Goals & Non-Goals

Goals (in scope):

  • [Specific, measurable outcome]
  • [Specific, measurable outcome]

Non-Goals (explicitly out of scope):

  • [What this spec does NOT cover]
  • [Common assumption to shut down early]

3. Background & Context

[Any prior art, related systems, or context engineers need to understand the decision space. Link to previous specs, ADRs, or research.]

4. Proposed Solution

High-Level Approach: [24 sentences describing the chosen solution. Why this approach vs alternatives?]

System Architecture Diagram: [Describe or embed: which services are involved, how data flows, what APIs are called]

Data Model Changes:

-- New tables or schema changes
[Include DDL or schema definition]

API Design:

[Endpoint] [Method]
Request: { [fields and types] }
Response: { [fields and types] }
Error codes: [list]

Key Implementation Details:

  • [Important technical constraint or approach]
  • [Edge case handling]
  • [Third-party dependency and version]

5. Alternative Approaches Considered

Option Pros Cons Why Rejected
[Alt 1] [Benefits] [Drawbacks] [Reason not chosen]
[Alt 2] [Benefits] [Drawbacks] [Reason not chosen]

6. Security & Privacy Considerations

  • Data stored: [What PII or sensitive data is involved]
  • Authentication: [How is access controlled]
  • Authorisation: [What permissions are required]
  • Encryption: [At rest / in transit requirements]
  • Compliance implications: [GDPR, SOC2, etc. if relevant]

7. Performance & Scalability

  • Expected load: [Requests/second, data volume]
  • Latency requirements: [P50 / P95 targets]
  • Caching strategy: [If applicable]
  • Database indexing: [New indexes required]
  • Known bottlenecks: [Where to watch]

8. Testing Plan

  • Unit tests: [Key scenarios to cover]
  • Integration tests: [System boundaries to test]
  • Load tests: [If performance-critical]
  • Edge cases: [Known tricky scenarios]
  • Rollback plan: [How to revert if something goes wrong]

9. Rollout Plan

  • Feature flag: [Yes / No — name of flag]
  • Rollout stages: [% of users at each stage]
  • Monitoring: [Metrics and alerts to set up]
  • Success criteria to progress rollout: [What needs to be true]
  • Rollback trigger: [What would cause immediate rollback]

10. Open Questions

Question Owner Due Date Resolution
[Unresolved question] [Name] [Date] [Pending]

11. Implementation Timeline (Rough)

Phase Work Estimated Effort
[Phase 1] [What gets built] [X days/points]
[Phase 2] [What gets built] [X days/points]
Total [X story points]

Guidelines

  • The spec is a decision record, not a task list — document why decisions were made
  • All open questions must have an owner and due date
  • Security and privacy sections are never optional for features that touch user data
  • Recommend async review: engineers read first, then a 30-minute sync to resolve questions
  • Keep the spec updated as implementation progresses — stale specs are worse than no specs