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Docs · Specs out · 6 min

Working with Specs

A build spec for every priority — what to build, why, in the customer's own words, and where in your codebase it goes.

Ready → Building → Shipped → Shared

01The five sections

1. What to Build — a clear, actionable task statement. One sentence describing exactly what to implement.

2. Why It Matters — business context: who's affected, revenue impact, urgency.

3. Customer Voice — a key verbatim quote (5–20 words) plus 3 supporting quotes with user type and emotion.

4. Files to Touch — suggested locations with (new) or (modify) labels, from your connected repository.

5. Done When — clear exit criteria.

02Sections that appear when relevant

  • Heads Up — warnings, risks or constraints worth knowing before starting
  • What Annsa Remembers — previous ships, corrections and related context (see Memory)
  • Competitive Context — a short summary when customers mention competitors

03What the statuses mean

StatusMeaningNext action
ReadyWaiting for actionStart building
BuildingIn progressComplete and ship
ShippedFeature deployedShare back with customers
SharedComplete, customers notifiedMonitor feedback for V2

04Editing one

Click any priority to see the spec inline. The edit icon opens it in an editor — make changes, then Save. Every save becomes a new version.

05Refreshing without losing your edits

The refresh icon regenerates against the latest feedback, and a Refresh badge appears automatically when new feedback has moved the scope. Refresh is section-aware: anything you edited by hand is preserved and only untouched sections regenerate.

06Version history

Click V1, V2 and so on to compare. Two things create a version — new feedback arriving on a shipped spec (automatic), or you editing or refreshing (manual). All versions are kept indefinitely.

07Getting it into your editor

Copy takes the title, metadata and every section for pasting into Cursor or Claude Code. Export downloads it as .md, and you can batch-export several from the priorities list. Arrow keys move between specs; Enter expands a priority.

08Pruning the feedback behind it

The feedback accordion lists every item that fed the priority. Remove one that was miscategorised and it isn't deleted — it returns to the pool and gets re-categorised on the next sweep, possibly into a different priority.

09What happens when you ship

Mark as Shipped opens Share Back.

ChannelWhat happens
EmailBranded notification to eligible customers
Survey bannerBanner shown to returning visitors
BothEmail plus banner (default)

Review the recipients — anyone whose email is on file — and uncheck to skip, or Skip entirely to keep the spec at Shipped without notifying. Emails use your workspace branding from Settings → Integrations → Survey → Notification branding.

10Then it becomes memory

After sending, the spec moves to Shared — the final stage. A ship memory is recorded at this point: theme, volume and customer segment at time of ship. That's what Annsa learns from. New feedback on the same theme afterwards feeds a V2. Annsa also asks for a thumbs up or down on spec quality, which takes one click and improves future specs.

annsa

Start building from signal.

Solo-founded in Sydney in 2025. Launched February 2026.