The era of Agile software development is coming to an end as Large Language Models (LLMs) drive a resurgence in detailed software specifications, according to a report by lewiscampbell.tech.
For decades, the software industry has operated under the principles of the 2001 Agile Manifesto, which prioritized working software over comprehensive documentation. However, the advent of cheap, high-scale LLMs is fundamentally altering the programming landscape by making precise specifications more valuable than ever.
Lewis Campbell, writing for lewiscrambell.tech, argues that Agile was often defined merely as the opposite of the 'Waterfall' model. He notes that many of the core tenets of Agile were actually established in the 1970s through the work of engineers like Winston W. Royce.
"Agile was always defined primarily in terms of what it wasn't - and what it wasn't was Waterfall," the outlet reported.
Campbell highlights that the industry's recent move toward 'Spec-Driven Development' is a direct response to the capabilities of modern AI. Because LLMs struggle with ambiguity, the ability to provide clear, structured requirements has become a primary driver of code quality.
The Return of Documentation
This shift reverses the Agile mantra of favoring working software over documentation. Instead, the new paradigm suggests that comprehensive documentation is the very thing that creates working software.
The report points out that the industry is essentially returning to the principles of early software engineering. Campbell quotes Royce to illustrate that documentation, specification, and design are intrinsically linked.
"Until coding begins these three nouns (documentation, specification, design) denote a single thing," Campbell noted, citing Royce's 1970 paper.
While Agile was marketed as a solution to the failures of the Waterfall method, the report argues that many of these problems were already addressed by engineers decades ago. The availability of LLMs has now provided the technical catalyst to move past Agile's 'vague platitudes' and return to a more rigorous, spec-centric approach.
