jrichlen/tracer-bullets

Ship the thinnest possible end-to-end slice through a system (or a question) first, get it working for real, then widen it in place. Applies to software delivery (a skeleton request that really hits every layer: UI to DB to response) and to open-ended investigation/research (a skeleton pass that really touches every source: shallow-fetch every branch before deep-diving any one). Use when scoping new work, de-risking an unfamiliar problem before committing to a full build, or planning how to structure a multi-stage investigation — especially before reaching for a throwaway prototype/spike, since the two are easy to conflate and this skill exists to keep them apart.