spec-compliance-review

Run a spec compliance review that compares the actual implementation line-by-line against the original requirements checklist. It checks three dimensions: missing requirements, unnecessary extra work, and misunderstood specifications, reporting findings with file and line references.

Spec compliance review answers whether the code does the right thing (the What), while code quality review answers whether it is written well (the How). Compliance review runs first, since well-written code that implements wrong requirements still needs rework.

Skip it for simple bug fixes, single-line changes, and behavior-preserving refactors. Use it for complex features, requirements with multiple sub-items, important business logic, and when the implementer and reviewer are different people.

Implementer reports can be incomplete, inaccurate, or overly optimistic, especially when work finished suspiciously fast. The review protocol requires independently reading the actual code and comparing it against requirements rather than accepting claims about completeness.

It adds 30-50% time per review but reduces rework by roughly 60% by catching requirement errors before quality review. The net effect is faster delivery for complex features, though simple changes can skip the compliance stage.