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Development Workflow

The development workflow covers the transition of SPECLAN specifications from approved to under-test status. This phase is owned by the development team and represents the implementation period where approved specifications are turned into working software.

Overview

Once a specification is approved, the development team takes ownership. When implementation is complete and ready for verification, the team transitions the specification to under-test status, signaling that the QA team can begin validation.

approved  ──>  in-development  ──>  under-test

Workflow Stages

Approved (Starting Point)

The specification has been reviewed and approved by the Requirements Engineer. It is now the authoritative reference for what needs to be built.

What the development team receives:

  • A locked specification that serves as the implementation guide
  • Acceptance criteria that define what "done" looks like
  • Traceability back to business goals through the specification hierarchy

In-Development

Active implementation is underway.

Who owns it: Development team

What happens:

  • The development team implements the specification
  • The specification itself remains locked -- only Change Requests can modify it
  • Progress is tracked through the specification's status
  • Child entities may have constraints based on parent entity status

Key rules:

  • Only users with development team permissions can work in this phase
  • The specification content cannot be directly edited
  • If changes are needed, a Change Request must be created

Under-Test (Transition Target)

Implementation is complete and the specification is ready for QA verification.

Who performs the transition: Development team member

What this signals:

  • All acceptance criteria have been implemented
  • The development team considers the work complete
  • The QA team can begin their validation process

Key rules:

  • The entity must be in "approved" or "in-development" status before transitioning to under-test
  • The transition must capture who performed it and when
  • Users receive confirmation when the transition is successful
  • Clear error messages are shown when a transition cannot be completed

Transition Criteria

From To Requirements
approved in-development Development team member initiates work
in-development under-test Implementation complete; transitioned by development team member

Validation Rules

Before transitioning to under-test, the system validates:

  • The entity is currently in the correct preceding status
  • The user has development team permissions
  • Related entities are notified or updated as appropriate

Status History

Every transition is recorded with:

  • The team member who performed the transition
  • A timestamp of when it occurred
  • The reason or context for the transition

Users can view the complete status history for any entity, providing full transparency into the development lifecycle.

Tips for Development Teams

  1. Read the full specification before starting implementation -- including all acceptance criteria
  2. Use Change Requests if you discover the spec needs modifications during development
  3. Transition promptly when implementation is complete -- delays hold up the QA team
  4. Check related entities -- parent and child entity statuses may affect transitions

Related Topics