How to Write Business Requirements for Claude Code and Codex
AI coding tools perform better when the business requirement is specific enough to become a build task. The best prompt is not just a paragraph of wishes. It is a small operating brief: outcome, workflow, constraints, acceptance criteria, and review path.
Start with the business outcome
A feature request should begin with the change you want in the business, not the screen you imagine first. For example, reduce manual quote preparation time, let staff approve requests faster, or capture workshop registrations without chasing payment proof.
This gives Claude Code or Codex a reason behind the code. When there are trade-offs, the operator can judge them against the outcome instead of guessing from the UI request alone.
Describe the workflow before the interface
Write who starts the action, what data they enter, what the system checks, what happens next, and who receives the result. This is usually more useful than asking for a page or button too early.
Once the workflow is clear, the interface becomes easier to design. The AI coding agent can work from real states: empty, submitted, paid, failed, approved, rejected, or needing review.
Add acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria tell the operator what must be true before the work ships. They can be simple: user can submit the form, payment redirects to Stripe, admin receives a record, invalid input shows a clear error, and no future posts appear on the public index.
Good criteria make AI coding safer because the work can be tested. Without criteria, everyone is left judging whether the output looks plausible.
Have a rough idea, but no spec?
Send the messy version. We will turn it into a buildable requirement before coding starts.
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