1 min lesson
The 2–3 hour protocol
Answer this as if it were happening now: "You're two hours into a three-hour onsite build and one layer is fighting you. Nothing is demoable yet. What do you do?" Say what supports your choice.
Step 1 of 2
The 2–3 hour protocolRun it like the real thing
- 1First 30 min · Orient and write your questions down. Build and run the repo. Read the entry point and the data model. List the sharp questions you'd post in the Slack channel - which surface should this live on, what's the auth model, is there an existing pattern I should follow - instead of guessing silently.
- 2Scope a walking skeleton. Choose the thinnest path that proves the feature end-to-end across every layer it touches. Write down what you're deliberately cutting and why.
- 3Build end-to-end first, then deepen. Get the unglamorous full slice working before polishing any one layer. A vertical slice you can demo beats a gorgeous half.
- 4Verify it actually works. Run it on a real input. Add at least one test or a reproducible check. Note the edge cases you didn't get to.
- 5Prepare a 5-minute demo + tradeoff narrative. Show it working in 60 seconds, then spend the rest defending decisions, naming what you'd do with more time and stating how you'd evaluate it in production.