# AI-Assisted Development Workflow The structured workflow for developers using AI coding agents effectively. Not [[Vibe Coding]] (unstructured); this is disciplined AI-assisted development. The difference between the two is the difference between hoping code works and knowing it does. The flow: 1. **Write a PRD or spec**: Define what you want, not how to build it. The PRD is context engineering for code. The quality of the spec determines the quality of the output. 2. **AI generates an implementation plan**: The AI proposes architecture, file structure, dependencies, and approach. 3. **Human reviews the plan**: This is where you catch architectural mistakes early. Plan review catches 10x more issues than code review because it is cheaper to change direction before code exists. 4. **AI implements according to plan**: The AI writes the code following the agreed plan. 5. **Human reviews the code**: Never ship unreviewed AI code. See [[Unreviewed AI code anti-pattern]] and [[Code is cheap, quality is not]]. 6. **Run tests**: Ideally written first via [[Agentic TDD]]. Testing is non-negotiable because AI-generated code looks correct but may have subtle bugs. 7. **Iterate**: Refine based on review and test results. Key principles: - The human is the architect; AI is the builder. You own the design decisions. - The PRD is the most important artifact. Garbage spec in, garbage code out. - Plan review is higher leverage than code review. Catching a bad architecture choice before implementation saves hours. - Testing is non-negotiable. AI code passes the "looks right" test but fails the "is right" test more often than human code. - Understanding [[How coding agents work]] helps you write better prompts and set better constraints. - [[AI Coding Maturity Levels]] describe the progression from naive AI use to this disciplined approach. Tools like [[Claude Code]] make this workflow practical by keeping the human in the loop at each step. ## References ## Related - [[AI Engineering]] - [[Vibe Coding]] - [[AI Coding Maturity Levels]] - [[Agentic TDD]] - [[How coding agents work]] - [[Code is cheap, quality is not]] - [[Unreviewed AI code anti-pattern]] - [[Human-in-the-Loop]] - [[Claude Code]]