TopCoder Development Competitions require participants to implement a previously designed software component. Their starting point is the winning design submission that includes UML class, sequence, and use case diagrams, and a component specification document which contains algorithm descriptions, exception handling, and documentation. They are required to provide a full implementation of the design, as well as a full suite of unit tests for their implementation and documentation.

Each competitor's submission goes through a review process that includes an initial screening and, if the submission passes screening, a full review by a three person Review Board. The competitors have a chance to appeal their review scores and, once all appeals are answered, the winner of the competition is announced. After the winner fixes any remaining problems with their submission, the competition ends and the implementation becomes a part of the TopCoder software catalog.