incremental-implementation

Break the feature into thin vertical slices where each slice delivers working end-to-end functionality. For each slice, implement the smallest complete piece, run the test suite, verify the build, commit with a descriptive message, then move to the next slice.

Vertical slicing builds one complete path through the stack per increment, such as database plus API plus basic UI for a single operation. Each slice leaves the system in a working, testable state instead of completing one layer at a time.

Skip it for single-file, single-function changes where the scope is already minimal. The overhead of slicing and per-increment verification adds no value when the entire change is small enough to verify in one step.

Feature flags let you merge small increments to the main branch without exposing unfinished work to users. Gate the new code behind an environment variable that defaults to off, then enable it when the feature is complete.

Mixing refactors with feature changes makes both harder to review and debug, and complicates rollbacks. Separate commits keep each change focused on one logical thing so a bug can be traced to a specific increment.