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Capstone: Full Mock Loop1 / 2

2 min lesson

The half-day protocol

Take "The half-day protocol" step by step, then finish with the result that proves it worked.

Step 1 of 2

The half-day protocolRun it like the real project

  1. 1First 30 min · Orient and write your questions down. Treat it like ramping on an unfamiliar codebase. List the sharp questions you'd ask the team - which cloud account, what's the tag taxonomy, is there an existing limiter pattern, who consumes the output - instead of guessing in silence.
  2. 2Scope to a demoable slice. Choose the thinnest end-to-end path that proves the tool works on one real input. Write down what you're deliberately cutting and why.
  3. 3Build end-to-end first, then deepen. Get the full unglamorous slice running before polishing any layer. A vertical you can demo beats a gorgeous half that doesn't run.
  4. 4Verify it on a real input. Run it against actual data or live traffic, add one test or a reproducible check and note the edge cases you didn't reach.
  5. 5Write a 5-minute presentation. Show it working in the first 60 seconds, then spend the rest on the tradeoffs you made, what you cut and what you'd build next.

The on-site grades collaboration as hard as code, because you'd be on a flat team where teammates' trust is the currency. So rehearse the human signals, not just the build.

  • Did you ask sharp early questions or burn an hour guessing the requirements?
  • Would a teammate watching call you pleasant to pair with under a clock?
  • Did you communicate progress and blockers or go dark and surface at the end?
  • Did you protect the demoable slice instead of rabbit-holing on one layer?
  • Could you take feedback mid-build and change course without getting defensive?
Watch out

Rabbit-holing on one layer until nothing demos is the classic failure of an open-ended build. Protect the walking skeleton above all. A working thin slice with honest gaps beats a deep, broken vertical and on the real on-site it also leaves you energy to actually engage with the team instead of grinding in silence.

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Full explanation

Full explanation

Say it like this

“I shipped the end-to-end cost report first and deliberately stubbed the multi-account join. With more time I'd add it next, since cross-account attribution is where the real waste hides - and I'd verify it by reconciling the total against the actual AWS bill, not just trusting my grouping.”