## 1. Book Identity ### *Specification by Example: How successful teams deliver the right software* ### Gojko Adzic, Manning 2011 ### Foundational text for BDD-aligned spec workflows ## 2. Goal ### Specify, develop, and deliver the right software, without defects, in very short cycles ## 3. Key Practices ### Deriving scope from goals ### Specifying collaboratively ### Illustrating using examples ### Refining the specification ### Automating validation without changing specifications ### Validating frequently ### Evolving a documentation system ## 4. GIVEN / WHEN / THEN ### Format originated by Dan North, Liz Keogh, Chris Matts at ThoughtWorks ### Became fundamental to BDD ### Adopted by Cucumber, JBehave, SpecFlow, Behave ### 71% adoption in Adzic's poll on example-format preference ## 5. Why It Matters Now (2026 Context) ### Pre-AI canonical text; every page applies tenfold in the agentic era ### Executable scenarios become the *prompt* for an agent ### Agents implement and verify against the scenarios, not the prose ### References - https://gojko.net/2020/03/17/sbe-10-years.html - https://www.manning.com/books/specification-by-example - https://cucumber.io/blog/bdd/gherkin-rules/