[Anchor Proposal]: Thin Vertical Slice

[cpoepke]

Proposed Term

Thin Vertical Slice

Context (Optional)

A delivery technique where one small, complete feature is implemented end-to-end across all system layers (UI → logic → persistence) in a single increment. Keeps each increment releasable and avoids integration surprises. Primary use is in the inception phase (proving first-feature delivery is achievable), but applies throughout agile delivery.

Category: System Inception Patterns (see #414)
(Note: also applicable as an ongoing agile delivery technique beyond inception)

Why it qualifies:

• Precise: well-established in agile and DDD communities with clear scope (end-to-end, feature-oriented, thin)
• Rich: activates concepts around continuous integration, feature-driven delivery, cross-layer coordination, incremental development
• Consistent: clearly distinguished from horizontal slicing and from architectural styles
• Attributable: Jimmy Bogard (Vertical Slice Architecture blog, 2018); broader agile lineage

Key distinction — Thin Vertical Slice vs Vertical Slice Architecture:

• Thin Vertical Slice: a delivery technique (how you increment work)
• Vertical Slice Architecture (Bogard): a structural code organization style
  These are complementary but not the same concept.

Distinguishes from:

• Walking Skeleton — feature-delivery focused vs system-viability validation
• MVP — single increment unit vs product-level hypothesis test
• Spike Solution — shippable feature vs technical decision experiment

References:

• Jimmy Bogard — Vertical Slice Architecture (blog): https://jimmybogard.com/vertical-slice-architecture/
• Derek Comartin — Vertical Slices (Code Opinion): https://codeopinion.com/vertical-slice-architecture/
• c2 Wiki — Incremental Development: https://wiki.c2.com/?IncrementalDevelopment

Pre-submission Checklist

• I have searched existing anchors and this term is not already included
• This term refers to a well-established concept (not something I invented)

[raifdmueller]

Valid proposal. Thin Vertical Slice is a well-established delivery technique and distinct from Vertical Slice Architecture (already in catalog) — one is a delivery cadence, the other is a structural pattern.

Accepting the anchor but placing it in development-workflow instead of the proposed new category — see #414. The primary concern is how you slice work for delivery, which is a workflow concern.

Will proceed with the PR.

[raifdmueller]

Merged via #425. Thin Vertical Slice is now in the catalog under development-workflow — thanks! (Ready to close.)