Zoom Out

Purpose

Counter tunnel-vision when working inside a single file or function. Instead of drilling deeper, go up a layer and survey the surrounding code, labeling it with the project's own domain vocabulary so the picture is anchored in real concepts rather than generic CS terms.

Workflow

1. Zoom Out

   • Stop drilling into the current code and go up a layer of abstraction
   • Produce a map of the relevant modules and callers around the code in focus
   • Example: from a single function, widen to the surrounding file, its callers, and what it depends on

2. Use the Project's Domain Glossary

   • Label the map with the project's own vocabulary, not generic terms
   • If the project has a glossary, use the words it defines verbatim
   • Example: if the project's terms are Tenant and Ledger, the map uses those words rather than "customer" or "database"

Works well with

Optional collaborators — zoom-out runs standalone and these degrade gracefully if absent.

• improve-codebase-architecture — after mapping a layer, hand off to find deepening opportunities in it.
• setup-toolbox-context — provides the domain glossary zoom-out labels its maps with.
• living-plan — orient with a zoom-out map before authoring a plan inside unfamiliar code.