Spec Driven Development: Analysing Across Features with Systems Thinking

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This is a summary of the article originally published on LinkedIn.

Specification Driven Development helps break down features into structured plans with actionable tasks. While GitHub Spec Kit’s /analyze command ensures consistency within a feature, what happens when features interact? This is where non-linear thinking and Systems Thinking become essential.

Key Takeaways

1. Features interact in non-linear ways — While linear thinking works within a single feature, contradictions, feedback loops, and emergent behaviors often appear when features interact. Systems Thinking helps identify these complex interactions before implementation.

2. Two dimensions of analysis — /analyze provides vertical alignment (ensuring spec, plan, and tasks are consistent within a feature), while the experimental /cross-feature command provides horizontal alignment (detecting how features affect each other).

3. Real-world complexity needs cross-feature analysis — In an e-commerce example with “Add to Cart” (reducing inventory), “Abandoned Cart” (restoring inventory after 15 minutes), and “Low Stock Alert” (email when stock drops below 5 units), the /cross-feature command detected a potential notification storm during high-traffic periods.

4. Early detection prevents production issues — By surfacing cross-feature oscillations and conflicts during the specification phase (before any code is written), teams can ask clarifying questions and make informed design decisions, preventing bugs and rework.

5. Experimental command enables rapid iteration — The /cross-feature command remains experimental, allowing teams to test and provide feedback on cross-feature analysis approaches using Systems Thinking and other perspectives as the methodology evolves.

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Originally published on LinkedIn on October 3, 2025