Rapid Prototyping & Micro-Tests
Small, verifiable changes before big commitments.
Step 2
How it works
I prefer a sequence of small, verifiable changes to a single big refactor. Each change either lands or teaches me something about why it did not.
Once the diagnosis is written, the next phase is validation — before committing to larger work, I build and ship small changes that test the most important assumptions. A prototype landing page, a reworked query, a cache invalidation fix, a new content template. Each one is designed to produce a clear signal in days rather than weeks. The discipline is to keep the scope small enough that the result is either a clean win or a clear learning. I measure every change against the baseline established in phase one. If a fix does not show up in the numbers, I would rather revert it than claim a win.
What this covers
Key activities
The specific areas I focus on during this phase.
- Hypothesis and scope
- Each prototype starts with a written hypothesis — what I am testing, why, and what success looks like.
- Minimal-surface implementation
- I work inside the existing stack wherever possible — the smallest change that can test the hypothesis gets shipped first.
- Measurement
- Each change is measured against the baseline. Results are written up with enough rigor to distinguish real signal from noise.
Outcomes
What gets produced
Concrete artifacts from this phase.
- Test results document
- A clear writeup of each experiment — what was tested, what happened, and what the next action is.
- Validated assumptions
- A shortlist of diagnostic findings that have been verified in production before committing to the larger work.
- Refined work sequence
- An updated ordering of remaining work based on what the prototypes taught the team.
See how this fits together
The process steps sit inside the larger shape of a consulting engagement. Read about the areas I take on outside work, or browse the portfolio.