Stop Writing Software Twice: How AI Stops the Cycle of Rewrites, Missed Deadlines, and Blown Budgets
In software development, when done right, we have to write software twice: first, in detailed specifications that explain exactly what the software should do, and then again as code that brings those specifications to life. But here’s a hard truth: it is rarely done right the first time.
The process often breaks down because creating exhaustive specifications is time-consuming, and teams rarely capture all the necessary details upfront. This leads to gaps, assumptions, and costly rework. As a result, software projects often run over budget, miss deadlines, and leave everyone frustrated.
The Hidden Costs of Writing Software Twice
To understand why writing software twice is necessary but rarely done well, let’s break down the two phases:
1. The First Write: Natural Language Specifications
The first time software is written, we’re not writing code at all. It’s creating requirements, user stories, and design documents—written in natural language. This is where teams describe how the software should function, what users can do, and what the experience should be like.
But here’s the problem: no team ever has the luxury of writing all the details. Product managers often have to rush to meet aggressive timelines – some projects don’t even employ professional product managers. They outline the broad strokes, but key features and interactions are missed. As Steve Jobs famously said, “Great products are made by 5,000 small decisions,” but in most projects, we don’t make those decisions upfront. They’re left for developers to interpret later, which leads to the second step.
2. The Second Write: Translating Specifications into Code
Once the specifications are handed off, engineers are responsible for turning those descriptions into functioning code. But when the first “write” is incomplete, developers are forced to use their imagination to fill in the blanks. Assumptions are made, and while engineers may have a good grasp of technology, they may not have the full picture of the product’s vision.
This is where the problems surface:
- Missed details lead to friction: When product teams don’t specify an important feature or use case, developers have to guess or improvise. This often results in functionality that doesn’t meet expectations.
- Assumptions lead to rework: When developers fill in the blanks, they may build features in ways that don’t align with the product vision, causing massive rework later in the project.
- Finger-pointing becomes inevitable: As deadlines slip and budgets overrun, teams shift blame. Product teams call-out engineering for "not getting it," while engineers point fingers at product for unclear specs.
The result is a cascade of problems that lead to missed timelines, overshot budgets, and unsatisfactory outcomes. According to studies, 66% of software projects exceed their budgets, and 85% fail to deliver the expected results on time. Even more alarmingly, 17% of large projects fail so badly they threaten the company’s survival.
Clearly, something in this process is broken.
Breaking the Cycle with AI: Meet Archie
What if we could eliminate this wasteful cycle? What if we could make those 5,000 decisions faster and better and get the specifications right and complete the first time, while also minimizing the need for developers to guess or fill in the blanks?
This is where Archie comes in. At Archie Labs, we’ve built an AI-powered system that completely transforms how software is written—reducing the need to have humans translate natural language specifications to working code.
The New First Write: AI-Driven Specifications
Archie is an AI Product Architect, helping teams generate comprehensive, accurate specifications in a fraction of the time. Instead of spending weeks or months in discovery, product teams can simply describe their vision in natural language. Archie then transforms these descriptions into a full set of functional, visual, and technical designs within minutes. Users can then work with Archie for a few hours or days to refine the results and achieve a 100% illustration of their vision and detailed requirements.
By automating the specification process, Archie ensures that no critical detail is missed. Every interaction, feature, and edge case is captured upfront, giving development teams clear, actionable requirements to work with.
The New Second Write: Code Generation, Not Translation
Once the specifications are complete, Archie takes things a step further by generating the actual code. Using its generative development engine, Archie translates the specs into production-ready code written in standard languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python, using modern frameworks such as React.js and Next.js.
This means that instead of developers spending months translating specifications into code, Archie handles the heavy lifting—reducing development timelines from months to days.
The End of Chaos, the Start of Innovation: How AI is Revolutionizing Software Development
With Archie, the entire software development process is reimagined:
- AI accelerates decision-making: Archie helps teams focus on the countless details that make a product great—quickly and efficiently. By doing so, the first "write" becomes far more accurate and complete.
- Developers no longer need to fill in the blanks: Since Archie generates code directly from the specifications, the need for developers to make assumptions or guess what the product team intended is eliminated.
- Reduced rework and better outcomes: By ensuring that both the product vision and the code are perfectly aligned from the start, Archie drastically reduces the time spent on rework and corrections.
The Future of Writing Software: Natural Language
The status quo of software development required teams to write software twice: once in natural language and again in code. But with the advent of AI and tools like Archie, this wasteful process is becoming obsolete. By allowing teams to describe their product in natural language and turning that into working software, we’re moving toward a future where software is written once—and written right.
At Archie Labs, we believe the future of coding is natural language. If you’re tired of writing software twice and still not getting it right; if you’re tired of the process taking too long and costing too much — it’s time to embrace the power of AI.
Stop writing software twice. Build it right the first time—with Archie.
This approach doesn’t just save time and money; it eliminates frustration, aligns teams, and produces software that meets expectations from day one. If you’re ready to experience the future of development, Archie Labs is here to help you get started.
Get started with your free Digital Blueprint here or contact us to learn more.
