sebastian-software/skills.sebastian-software.com/effective-engineering

Effective Engineering

Choose the route for the system or code decision, then read the references needed to resolve it. Use repository contracts and observed requirements; do not require a full architecture review for a local change.

Prefer the simplest design supported by evidence. Add abstractions, fallback states, or tests for reachable, consequential behavior; weigh their maintenance cost. Preserve security, privacy, authorization, money, and data-integrity boundaries even when failures are rare. Do not invent scale or reliability requirements.

Keep types, ownership, asynchronous work, and failure behavior explicit. Validate changed contracts at a faithful boundary; performance claims need a representative measurement. Continue through the authorized implementation and report material uncertainty without expanding into speculative hardening.

Route by Intent

Routing Boundaries

• effective-web: browser-facing TypeScript, React, frontend architecture,

performance, and all frontend test design and diagnosis. Route by the outcome; pure logic inside a browser feature does not make it a backend task.

• effective-delivery: repository audits, implementation plans, ports, PR

review and upkeep, dependency updates, running established checks, technical documentation, and team workflows. Supply language-depth findings as needed.

• effective-product: product direction and durable decisions recorded as ADRs.
• effective-marketing: positioning and public performance or reliability claims.
• effective-writing: articles and explainers about the engineering work.

New load, soak, and stress methodology is outside this collection. Escalate specialist security, regulatory, infrastructure, or production-operations choices when evidence and authority cannot establish a safe direction.