[causalityltd]

The cognitive dissonance comes from the tension between the-spec-as-management-artifact vs the-spec-as-engineering-artifact. Author is right that advocates are selling the first but second is the only one which works.

For a manager, the spec exists in order to create a delgation ticket, something you assign to someone and done. But for a builder, it exists as a thinking tool that evolves with the code to sharpen the understanding/thinking.

I also think, that some builders are being fooled into thinking like managers because ease, but they figure it out pretty quickly.

[causalityltd]

Also, however much you manage the project, eventually you do need to actually "build". You can't deliver on hype alone. Or maybe you can, but only for some news cycles or VC meetings. The user will eventually need the promised product.