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Large-scale analysis finds no link between specification quality and defects in open-source software, suggesting re-evaluation of industry claims.
First large-scale empirical test of spec-driven development (SDD) quality claims. Within-author fixed effects and JIT defect prediction controls across 119 open-source repositories find no association between specification presence, specification quality, and defect outcomes. The null result persists across all robustness checks.
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Brenn Hill (2026) studied this question.
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