Building a Professional Documentation Toolkit with Claude: A 4-Hour AI Pair Programming Journey

Posted on Sep 14, 2025

The Journey: From 3 Templates to 16 in One Session

Today I want to share an incredible AI pair programming session that transformed how I think about documentation. In just 4 hours with Claude, we built a comprehensive Professional Documentation Toolkit containing 16 LLM-optimized templates that cover the entire software development lifecycle.

The Inspiration

It all started with a YouTube video by stulogy about his vibe-prd project. His approach to structured AI-assisted development using PRD templates was brilliant. He showed how giving LLMs the right framework could transform vague AI responses into professional-grade documentation.

That video opened my eyes. I realized we could extend this concept far beyond just PRDs.

The Build Session

Working with Claude, we embarked on an ambitious goal: create a complete documentation toolkit that any developer could use with any LLM (Claude, GPT-4, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.).

What We Built (16 Templates Total)

Planning Phase (4 templates):

  • Product Requirements Document (PRD) - Enhanced version
  • Business Requirements Document (BRD)
  • Request for Comments (RFC)
  • Technical Specification

Design Phase (4 templates):

  • System Design Document
  • API Specification (OpenAPI/Swagger)
  • Database Schema Documentation
  • User Stories with Acceptance Criteria

Operations Phase (3 templates):

  • Operational Runbook
  • Incident Post-Mortem
  • Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Project Management (3 templates):

  • Project Charter
  • RACI Responsibility Matrix
  • Risk Register

Development Phase (2 templates):

  • Comprehensive Test Plans
  • Enhanced task generation

The Magic: LLM Optimization

Each template isn’t just a static document outline. They’re specifically designed to make AI assistants ask the right questions. For example, when you give an LLM the PRD template, it will ask:

  • What type of users will use this?
  • What are the main user journeys?
  • What are the success metrics?
  • What’s explicitly out of scope?

This structured approach eliminates the back-and-forth typically needed to get good documentation from AI.

Real Impact: The Numbers

  • Files Created: 21
  • Lines of Documentation: 8,465+
  • Time Invested: ~4 hours
  • Time Saved (Estimated): 200+ hours of manual documentation writing

Full Transparency: 100% AI-Assisted

Here’s something I believe strongly in: transparency about AI usage. This entire toolkit was created through AI-assisted programming with Claude. Every template, every example, every line of documentation.

And you know what? That’s the future. Not AI replacing developers, but AI amplifying our capabilities. In 4 hours, we created what would have taken weeks to build manually.

The Open Source Contribution

After building the toolkit, we did something important: we contributed back to the community. We:

  1. Created a fork of stulogy’s original vibe-prd
  2. Added our 16 templates as an extension
  3. Submitted a pull request with full attribution
  4. Made everything open source

This is how open source should work - building on each other’s ideas, giving credit, and making tools better for everyone.

Key Learnings

1. Structure Enables Creativity

When you give AI clear frameworks, it doesn’t constrain creativity - it enables it. The templates provide structure while allowing flexibility in content.

2. Clarifying Questions Are Gold

The magic isn’t in the template structure alone, but in the clarifying questions each template forces the AI to ask. This ensures comprehensive coverage.

3. Version Control Integration Matters

Every template includes Git commands for tracking changes. Documentation should be versioned just like code.

4. Industry Standards Still Apply

We based templates on IEEE, ISO, and Agile standards. AI doesn’t mean throwing away proven practices - it means implementing them faster.

How You Can Use This

The toolkit is now available in multiple places:

  1. My Fork: github.com/jeremylongshore/vibe-prd
  2. Standalone Repo: Coming soon
  3. StartAITools.com: Integrated into our documentation section

To use it, simply tell your AI assistant:

Use @ai-dev-tasks/create-prd.md to create a PRD for [your feature]

The AI will read the template, ask clarifying questions, and generate professional documentation.

The Philosophy: AI Transparency

I believe we should be completely transparent about AI usage. This toolkit includes an AI_ATTRIBUTION.md file that clearly states:

  • 100% of templates were AI-generated
  • Created with Claude (Anthropic)
  • ~4 hours of collaborative work
  • Full transparency about the process

This isn’t something to hide - it’s something to celebrate. We’re entering an era where human creativity paired with AI capability can achieve remarkable things.

What’s Next?

This toolkit is just the beginning. We’re planning:

  • Integration with more AI platforms
  • Industry-specific templates
  • Automated documentation pipelines
  • Real-time collaboration features

The Bigger Picture

This session reinforced my belief that AI-assisted development isn’t about replacing human developers - it’s about amplifying our capabilities. In 4 hours, we created a toolkit that will save hundreds of hours for developers worldwide.

That’s the power of human creativity guided by clear vision, amplified by AI capability.

Try It Yourself

Want to experience this kind of productivity? Here’s my advice:

  1. Start with clear goals - Know what you want to build
  2. Use structured prompts - Give AI frameworks to work within
  3. Iterate quickly - Don’t aim for perfection on first pass
  4. Be transparent - Share your AI usage openly
  5. Contribute back - Make the community better

Acknowledgments

Huge thanks to:

  • stulogy for the original vibe-prd inspiration
  • Claude (Anthropic) for being an incredible pair programming partner
  • The open source community for continuous inspiration

Conclusion

This 4-hour session produced 16 professional documentation templates, 8,465+ lines of documentation, and a complete toolkit that any developer can use. But more importantly, it demonstrated what’s possible when we embrace AI as a development partner.

The future isn’t AI or humans - it’s AI and humans, working together to build amazing things.

Want to follow more AI development adventures? Subscribe to my newsletter or check out StartAITools.com where we’re building the future of AI-assisted development.

Built with Claude in 4 hours. Used extensively. Disclosed completely. Shared freely.

The code is open source. The knowledge is free. The future is collaborative.