# Monday Commitment Card - Spec-First Build

> Print one per person, A6 or half-A5. Hand out in the closing 10 minutes, pens ready. The room just built a feature spec-first; this card turns "that was a good idea" into "I'll do it on Monday." Keep it to one real commitment - small and true beats big and aspirational ([Way #4](../ways-of-working.md)).

**Facilitator line:** *"Pick the one place this week where you'd normally jump straight to code - and instead write the spec first. One place. Write it down, name a buddy, and pick the day they'll ask you about it."*

---

```
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|  MY SPEC-FIRST COMMITMENT                  Innovation Day  |
|                                                           |
|  Name: ______________________   Team: __________________  |
|                                                           |
|  ---------------------------------------------------------|
|  1. The ONE place I'll write a spec or contract BEFORE    |
|     I write code this week                                |
|     (a real task on my plate - an endpoint, a schema,     |
|      a function signature, a data shape):                 |
|                                                           |
|     ____________________________________________________  |
|     ____________________________________________________  |
|                                                           |
|  ---------------------------------------------------------|
|  2. The ONE standard I'll adopt first                     |
|     (circle one, or write your own):                      |
|                                                           |
|     [ ] REQ-API-2  - machine-readable OpenAPI, in sync    |
|     [ ] QTEST-EARLY - test at the lowest viable layer     |
|     [ ] ENG-PRIN-REVIEW-STMT - no self-merge              |
|     [ ] ENG-PRIN-DOC-STMT - one ADR line, the *why*       |
|     [ ] ENG-PRIN-INCR-STMT - small, reviewable steps      |
|     [ ] Other: _______________________________________    |
|                                                           |
|  ---------------------------------------------------------|
|  3. My reviewer / buddy                                   |
|     (the human who signs the work with me - Way #2):      |
|                                                           |
|     ____________________________________________________  |
|                                                           |
|  ---------------------------------------------------------|
|  4. Check-in date                                         |
|     (when my buddy asks "did you spec it first?"):        |
|                                                           |
|     ______ / ______ / __________                          |
|                                                           |
|  ---------------------------------------------------------|
|  Snap a photo of this card before you leave. Put the      |
|  check-in in your calendar now, with your buddy invited.  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
```

---

## How to use it

| Step | Facilitator action |
|------|-------------------|
| Hand out | One card + pen per person during the closing block. |
| Frame | Read the facilitator line. Stress **one** commitment, **real** task, **named** human. |
| Fill | 3 minutes, heads down. No discussion yet. |
| Pair | 60 seconds: each person reads their card to their buddy. The buddy's only job is to agree to ask on the check-in date. |
| Lock it in | "Calendar invite, now, buddy invited. If it's not in the calendar, it won't happen." |
| Capture | Everyone photographs their own card and keeps it. No collection needed. |

**Tie-backs for the frame:**
- Box 1 is [Way #1: describe before you generate](../ways-of-working.md) - if you can't write the spec, you're not ready to generate.
- Box 2 picks the one standard worth a real habit. The five options map to the [five ways of working](../ways-of-working.md); the cite IDs come from [`docs/corporate-standards-main/`](../corporate-standards-main/).
- Box 3 is [Way #2: a human always signs the work](../ways-of-working.md) - the buddy isn't a manager, they're the second signature.
- Box 4 makes it real. A commitment without a date is a wish.

---

*Part of the Spec-First Build session - see the [folder index](README.md). The five ways of working: [ways-of-working.md](../ways-of-working.md).*