Documents Are Not Software
The problem with documents is that they are abstract. You can’t click on a PDF. You can’t test a user flow in an Excel file. In the past, we had to document first because writing code was expensive and time-consuming. Getting it wrong cost a lot of money.
Today, AI has turned code into the most flexible material we have. That means we can skip the step of guessing in a document and move straight to testing in reality.
The Principle: Build While We Talk
Instead of spending weeks on specifications, we put domain experts and the development team in the same room. As the needs are discussed, AI generates code and interfaces directly on the screen.
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Does the button look wrong? We change it immediately.
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Does the flow feel clumsy? We rebuild it before lunch.
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Did we miss a business rule? We add it straight into the logic.
The focus shifts from describing the solution to creating it.
Many believe that speed increases risk. We believe the opposite. The greatest risk in digital projects is building the wrong thing for a long time.
By producing a runnable MVP early, often within just a few days, we get feedback immediately. We validate business value before the budget runs out. Every hour spent polishing a requirements document is an hour not spent building the actual service.
And in a world where AI can generate documentation after the code is written, the old order becomes even harder to justify.
But What About Structure and Security?
At this point, the cautious reader might think: “This sounds great for a startup, but we have security and governance requirements. We can’t just code and hope for the best.”
Many assume there’s a choice to be made: either you move fast and cut corners, or you move slowly and build something robust.
But what if that’s no longer a choice at all?
That’s exactly what we’ll dive into in the next part.
