A capstone starts with a brief, not with code
The final project evaluates not the size of the application, but the ability to organize AI-assisted development as a controlled engineering process. The first step is a capstone brief: it helps choose a format, one end-to-end scenario, boundaries, and the evidence that will be needed.
The value of the project is a reproducible working scenario and a transparent process. Advanced Claude Code mechanisms are unnecessary if they do not solve a specific problem for the chosen format.
| Format | What it demonstrates | Recommended level |
|---|---|---|
| Feature in existing codebase | Analysis, planning, changes, and verification of existing code | Junior, Middle |
| AI-native MVP | A minimal product with one useful scenario | Junior, Middle |
| Legacy modernization mini-project | Gradual improvement of an old system without a full rewrite | Middle, Senior |
| Migration slice | A bounded migration with validation and a rollback plan | Middle, Senior |
| DevOps automation | Verifiable automation of an engineering process | Middle, Senior |
| Team workflow design | A team AI workflow, artifacts, skills, and policy | Senior |
One core flow and clear non-goals
- choose only one project format;
- describe one scenario that runs from start to finish;
- record the features and integrations deliberately excluded from the work;
- collect evidence from the first day, not only before the demo;
- check that the result can be shown without a production release.
Expectations match the project level
You do not need to add MCP, hooks, agents, or plugin architecture merely to make the project look complex. Every additional mechanism needs a concrete benefit and a way to verify it.
| Level | Expected result |
|---|---|
| Junior | A completed core flow, SPEC.md, README, smoke check, and a transparent description of Claude assistance |
| Middle | A controlled cycle from requirements and plan through small changes, commits, checks, diff review, and demo |
| Senior | Control of legacy or migration risks, rollback, ownership, policy, and justified trade-offs |
Self-check the idea before implementation
- Name your level and capstone format.
- Describe one core flow from input to an observable result.
- Write down at least three real non-goals.
- Define two or three checks that can be run locally.
- State where Claude Code will help and what you will verify yourself.
- Make sure the scope matches the time available and the project level.
Signs of a ready capstone brief
- one format is chosen instead of mixing several large ideas;
- the core flow is described through user behavior;
- non-goals and production constraints are recorded;
- the place for SPEC.md and evidence is defined;
- it is clear how to demonstrate the result without claiming production readiness.
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