What problem does it solve? Teams routinely split work into horizontal layers (build the API, then the UI, then integrate), which defers all user value and hides integration risk until the final story. This Skill provides a repeatable workflow for slicing epics into thin, end-to-end stories that each deliver something a user can see and verify. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Vertical slicing workflow: A seven-step process covering the split catalog (workflow step, business rule, data variation, happy path, operation, user segment, spike), INVEST checks, and the 1-3 day sizing rule. - Anti-pattern detection: Red flags and rationalization tables that catch layer-named stories, end-of-epic integration stories, dependency chains, and estimate averaging. - Verification checklist: Exit criteria confirming every story has a user-visible outcome, acceptance criteria with explicit non-goals, and risk-first sequencing with a walking skeleton first. - Use Case: Given a six-week epic like "customers import their product catalog", produce a sequenced backlog: a walking skeleton story, a timeboxed spike on real customer files, then 1-3 day stories for mapping UI, validation, encoding tolerance, and re-import. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to break down your epic into vertically sliced stories, for example: "Slice this epic into shippable user stories using the split catalog and INVEST checks."
