2024 is more frantic than ever. We need to ship more, without dropping the focus on quality. Delivering immediate value to customers is crucial. One effective strategy is vertical slicing: focusing on small, specific features that cut across all layers of the application. Here’s how to implement this approach successfully.

The Power of Vertical Slicing

Vertical slicing allows for:

• Faster time-to-market
• Immediate customer feedback
• Reduced risk of unnecessary features
• Enhanced team collaboration

Steps to Implement Vertical Slicing

1. Identify a valuable feature: Choose a specific feature that customers have requested or is based on customer feedback, such as an error message being displayed which is triggered by a specific backend error occurring.
2. Collaborative scoping: Engage the product manager, designers, and engineers to define the scope, ensuring all perspectives are considered.
3. Involve customers: Gather input from customers to validate the feature’s necessity and functionality.
4. Define the outcome and “Done”: Clearly articulate success criteria and what completion looks like for the feature.
5. Build and demonstrate: Develop the feature iteratively and demonstrate progress for quick feedback.

Key Questions for Success

• How do we ensure this is a small piece of work? It should be able to be released within a sprint or less, with the aim of having something demonstrable as soon as possible.
• How do we ensure it’s valuable? Validate ideas with customers and use data to support the need.
• How do we scope effectively? Ensure all capabilities required to complete the work are represented in scoping sessions.
• How do we know when it’s done? Establish a clear Definition of Done, including acceptance criteria and automated tests.

Example: Adding an Informational Popup

1. Identify the Feature: An error message notifying users.
2. Collaborative Scoping: Define content, design, and technical requirements with the team.
3. Customer Involvement: Validate the need through user surveys, interviews, and/or using real customer feedback.
4. Define Outcomes: “Users will be informed within 5 seconds, reducing support tickets by 20%.”
5. Define Done: Ensure responsive design, correct triggering, clear content, performance limits, and user analytics.
6. Build and Demonstrate: Develop in short iterations with frequent demonstrations.

By following these steps your team can deliver small, yet impactful features that delight customers and propel your product forward. Stay focused on collaboration and customer needs to maximise your development efforts!

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