Finalise & Export

The Finalise stage is the last step. Features that have been fully specified in the Create stage are reviewed for completeness, signed off, and locked. The result is an exportable specification that serves as the contractual basis for implementation.

What "finalised" means

A finalised feature is:

Complete - all feature requirements, use cases, and use case requirements are written
Reviewed - stakeholders have confirmed the specification is accurate
Signed off - formal approval that the feature is ready for implementation
Locked - no further changes without explicit authorisation

Finalisation is a deliberate gate. It's the moment where the team agrees: this is what we're building.

The signoff process

Select 4. Finalise from the navigation to see features ready for signoff.

Review each feature's specification before signing off. Check that:

Feature requirements cover all general rules for the feature
Use cases cover the scenarios that matter - at minimum the happy path, plus error conditions and edge cases where relevant
Use case requirements describe the rules and sequence within each scenario
No requirement is vague - every one has specific values, conditions, and tolerances
Requirements follow EARS patterns and are testable

When you're satisfied, sign off the feature. This locks it and marks it as finalised.

What gets locked

Once finalised, the feature and all its children (use cases, FRs, UCRs) are locked. This prevents accidental changes to a specification that may already be in development.

If changes are needed after finalisation - and they sometimes are - an Admin or Project Manager can unlock the feature. This is an explicit action that creates an audit trail. The feature can then be modified and re-finalised.

Export formats

From the Finalise view, you can export the specification in three formats:

JSON - structured data for machine consumption. Use this for importing into other tools, feeding CI/CD pipelines, or integrating with development workflows. The JSON preserves the full hierarchy: feature sets → features → requirements + use cases → requirements.

CSV - tabular data for spreadsheets and databases. Useful for reporting, filtering, and sharing with stakeholders who prefer working in Excel or Google Sheets.

PDF - formatted document for printing or formal distribution. Use this for contractual deliverables, design reviews, or archived specifications.

All export formats preserve your custom ordering and custom IDs from the Create stage.

Downstream use

The exported specification is designed to feed other tools and processes:

Features map to work items in project management tools
Use cases map to tasks or test scenarios
Requirements map to acceptance criteria
Feature sets map to components or modules

Finalised feature sets can also feed into Solaros Construct for code framework generation.

In the Reference Project, switch to the Finalise tab to see the export options and the CopyCSV button.