Prototype — Spike to Settle a Design Unknown

A prototype exists to answer one question, and only a question that running code can answer: does this state machine shape hold up, does the data model fit, is this library viable, does this UI feel right. Reading the code, the docs, or an ADR answers most design questions — those never earn a prototype. The governing rule is the leitwort: prototype code never graduates. The deliverable is a decision, not code.

The discipline