RS Glossary
Pattern Triggers
Pattern Triggers are compact, agreed words or phrases that invoke a larger reasoning pattern, workflow, or set of constraints without restating the complete instructions.
- Review state
- Reviewed in POC
- Freshness
- Current
- Version
- 2
- Pattern Triggers
- Pattern Trigger
Remember it this wayA short handle for a shared way of working.
In plain language
A Pattern Trigger is a short phrase a team has already defined together. Saying the phrase calls up the fuller method, checks, and constraints that everyone—including an AI agent—has access to.
Why it matters
Pattern Triggers let teams work with brevity without discarding shared meaning. They reduce repetitive instructions, but only when the underlying pattern is documented, understood, and available in the current context.
Example
A team has defined “vertical slices” as one observable end-to-end behavior at a time, each with its own tests. Saying “implement this in vertical slices” invokes that agreed pattern without repeating the full procedure.
Common misconception
A Pattern Trigger is not a magic word, capitalization trick, or universal command. Without a shared definition and access to the pattern, it is only an ambiguous phrase.
Related terms
Sources
- Pattern Triggers is RS AI Learning Lab working vocabulary for a short phrase that invokes a documented team pattern. The sources below support the underlying shared-language practice and vertical-slice example; they do not establish the exact term.
- Martin Fowler, “Ubiquitous Language”documents the older domain-driven-design practice of developing rigorous shared vocabulary.
- Matt Pocock, “skills” READMEpresents a contemporary shared-language practice for communicating dense ideas with precise terms.
- Matt Pocock, “TDD” skillprovides “vertical slices” as a current example of a short phrase linked to a documented working pattern.
Learn more
- Compare [[prompt|Prompt]], [[system-prompt|System Prompt]], [[workflow|Workflow]], and [[prompt-engineering|Prompt Engineering]] to place Pattern Triggers in the surrounding system.
- Follow the cited source material above for the method, standard, or research context behind this draft.
Public history
22 recorded events · 22 public summaries
A potential shared concept was discussed and selected for initial glossary drafting.
The captured candidate received a complete initial draft and entered section-level human review.
Radar reviewed the initial definition draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial plain-language-explanation draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial why-it-matters draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial example draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial common-misconception draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial remember-it-this-way draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial related-terms draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial sources draft for human consideration.
Radar reviewed the initial learn-more draft for human consideration.
Sources review recorded as replace.
Radar reviewed Mike's accepted sources replacement for this exact wording version.
Definition review recorded as approve.
Plain-Language Explanation review recorded as approve.
Why It Matters review recorded as approve.
Example review recorded as approve.
Common Misconception review recorded as approve.
Remember It This Way review recorded as approve.
Related Terms review recorded as approve.
Learn More review recorded as approve.
All nine current wording approvals were reconciled to Approved term status.
Source: vault/Glossary/terms/pattern-triggers/term.md · sha256:9a584b2b64570f79646712346c55ab0737e5d097450f57c432c081154e4e2f62 · Release: rs-glossary-glossary-team-poc-0.5.5-2026-09-02