Writing Great Specifications

about the technology

The clearest way to communicate a software specification is to provide examples of how it should work. Turning these story-based descriptions into a well-organized dev plan is another matter. Gherkin is a human-friendly, jargon-free language for documenting a suite of examples as an executable specification. It fosters efficient collaboration between business and dev teams, and it's an excellent foundation for the specification by example (SBE) process.

about the book

Writing Great Specifications teaches you how to capture executable software designs in Gherkin following the SBE method. Written for both developers and non-technical team members, this practical book starts with collecting individual feature stories and organizing them into a full, testable spec. You'll learn to choose the best scenarios, write them in a way that anyone can understand, and ensure they can be easily updated by anyone.

what's inside

• Reading and writing Gherkin
• Designing story-based test cases
• Team Collaboration
• Managing a suite of Gherkin documents

about the reader

Primarily written for developers and architects, this book is accessible to any member of a software design team.

about the author

Kamil Nicieja is a seasoned engineer, architect, and project manager with deep expertise in Gherkin and SBE.

Does a great job taking concepts from good architectural practices and applying them to the world of collaborative specifications.

The missing manual for writing great specifications. I wish this book had existed five years ago!

Will jolt you into best practices, give you fresh perspectives, and reinvigorate your commitment to this business-critical skill.

The complete book on how to write great specifications. Most of us know bits and pieces, but to truly grok it, you need this excellent guide.