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Decomposition Techniques

Each technique is a reusable pattern for breaking a large change into a sequence of small, independently shippable increments. Master these 5 core patterns and you'll handle the vast majority of real-world decomposition challenges.

1

Preparatory Refactoring

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Make the change easy, then make the easy change.

2

Feature Flags

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Ship the code dark, turn it on later.

3

Expand/Contract

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Add the new, migrate consumers, remove the old.

4

Scaffold First

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Ship the boring structure before the interesting logic.

5

Extract and Delegate

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Move it first, change it second.

6

Branch by Abstraction

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Introduce an interface, then swap what's behind it.

8

Parallel Implementation

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Run the new thing alongside the old thing, compare, then switch.

7

Strangler Fig

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Grow the new system around the old one, one vine at a time.

9

Data Migration Decoupling

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Schema changes and code changes are different PRs. Always.

10

Test-First Decomposition

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Ship the safety net before the change.

11

Configuration-Driven Behavior

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Make the system configurable first, then configure it.

5 of 12 techniques covered in MVP — more coming soon