Structured-Prompt-Driven Development (SPDD)

This article introduces Structured-Prompt-Driven Development (SPDD), a workflow developed by Thoughtworks' IT organization to make LLM-assisted code changes governable, reviewable, and reusable. It treats prompts as first-class artifacts stored in version control, aligning development with business needs. The article details a six-step workflow using a billing engine example, covering requirements, analysis, prompt generation, code generation, and unit tests. It emphasizes three core skills: alignment, abstraction-first, and iterative review. The piece also discusses trade-offs, fitness assessment, and how SPDD enhances spec-driven development, targeting teams adopting AI coding assistants beyond individual productivity.