The walking skeleton is a minimal, end-to-end implementation of a software system that touches all major architectural components and frameworks.
Key characteristics are:
- Minimal end-to-end functionality.
- Includes all major architectural layers (e.g., UI, backend, database)
- Used early in development
- Helps validate architectural decisions Supports continuous integration
It was developed by Alastair Cockburn during the 1990s.
It can help to achieve a minimal viable product (MVP).
It is different to a prototype.
Reference
- COCKBURN, Alistair. Walking skeleton [online]. 2014. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20140329201356/http://alistair.cockburn.us/Walking+skeleton
- COCKBURN, Alistair. Crystal Clear: a human-powered methodology for small teams. 2004. Available at: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2706110W/Crystal_clear