Ship Small, Ship Boring, Know When You're Done

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0500

Vertical slices, not horizontal layers

Here’s a failure mode I’ve watched play out on almost every large feature: the team builds all of one layer before starting the next. Every database table first, then every endpoint, then every screen. Progress looks real — the database layer is “done,” the API is 70% there — right up until week six, when integration starts. The data model was built on assumptions that turned out wrong. The API contract doesn’t match what the UI actually needs. Two weeks of rework follows.

Delivery on rjrowland

Ship Small, Ship Boring, Know When You're Done

Vertical slices, not horizontal layers