Why Shape Up?

The introduction part of the Shape Up book is describing the challenges Basecamp was facing. Spoiler alert: they were matching exactly the challenges that our team had.

The core principle of Shape Up is that the time is fixed and the scope of work is variable. You can always add more functionality, polish design, or improve what’s already there. When you have a deadline, you have to make tradeoffs. There’s a specific appetite — the amount of time the team is allowed to spend on the project. And this time cannot be exceeded. It means that within a fixed amount of time, you get a functional piece that you can get in front of the eyes of customers, get their feedback and iterate the solution.

Moreover, designers and engineers form an autonomous team that has full responsibility to make their own decisions. Product managers can then spend more time shaping. A shaped project then gives clear boundaries to the team which can be more autonomous. It’s a circle.

Lovely.

Szczegółowy Case Study
Shape Up by Basecamp z perspektywy Product Managera