For routine work, the spec is clear:
When you build a house, you know how much concrete, steel, wood, and stone are needed.
When you build a car, there’s no uncertainty about how much raw material, screws, and welding are required to build a it.
We’ve built houses and cars before; they’re predictable processes.
For innovative work, there is no spec because — by definition — it’s new.
Marie Curie didn’t have a spec.
Warby Parker didn’t have a spec.
Spanx didn’t have a spec.
They all went about things with curiosity and little certainty until eventually they converged on what they should be doing.
If you’re trying to do something new, it is going to be unclear for awhile… and that’s okay.
It’s par for the course.
Be comfortable exploring and have confidence that you will learn and gain clarity along the way.