Shape Up¶

Shape Up is Basecamp's product development methodology created by Ryan Singer. It emphasizes fixed time with variable scope, betting on shaped pitches rather than managing backlogs.

When to Use¶

Use Shape Up when:

You want fixed timelines with flexible scope
You're tired of endless backlogs and estimation sessions
You want small, autonomous teams
You prefer betting on shaped work over planning sprints

Core Concepts¶

Concept	Description
Appetite	Fixed time budget (2 or 6 weeks), not estimates
Shaping	Define problem and solution at the right abstraction level
Betting	Leadership bets on pitches, not backlogs
Cycles	6-week building cycles with 2-week cool-down
Hill Charts	Track uncertainty, not completion
Circuit Breaker	Stop if it's not working

The Shape Up Flow¶

1. SHAPING (senior people)
   Shape raw ideas into pitches
       ↓
2. BETTING TABLE (leadership)
   Bet on pitches for next cycle
       ↓
3. BUILDING (small teams)
   6-week cycle with full autonomy
       ↓
4. COOL-DOWN (everyone)
   2-week break for bugs, exploration, recovery
       ↓
   (repeat)

Key Artifacts¶

Pitch¶

The pitch is the core artifact - a shaped problem and solution ready for betting.

Section	Purpose
Problem	Raw idea, problem statement, evidence
Appetite	Time budget (2 or 6 weeks) with rationale
Solution	Breadboards, fat marker sketches, approach
Rabbit Holes	Things to avoid that could blow up the project
No-Gos	Explicitly out of scope

Hill Chart¶

Track progress during building by plotting scopes on a hill:

                    ▲ Top (figured out)
                   /|\
    Uphill        / | \        Downhill
  (uncertain)    /  |  \     (executing)
                /   |   \
───────────────/────┼────\───────────────
   0%         25%  50%   75%         100%

Using the Shape Up Profile¶

Initialize a Project¶

multispec init my-feature --profile shapeup

Create a Pitch¶

multispec draft shapeup-pitch -p my-feature

Evaluate the Pitch¶

multispec eval shapeup-pitch -p my-feature

Track Scopes During Building¶

multispec draft shapeup-scope -p my-feature

Comparison with Other Methodologies¶

Aspect	Shape Up	Scrum	AWS Working Backwards
Time	Fixed (6 weeks)	Fixed (2-week sprints)	Variable
Scope	Variable	Fixed (sprint commitment)	Variable
Planning	Betting table	Sprint planning	PR/FAQ approval
Backlog	None	Yes	Roadmap
Estimation	Appetite (time worth)	Story points	None
Autonomy	High	Medium	Medium

Example Workflow¶

# 1. Initialize project
multispec init checkout-improvement --profile shapeup

# 2. Shape and write pitch
multispec draft shapeup-pitch -p checkout-improvement
# ... shape the problem and solution ...

# 3. Evaluate pitch readiness
multispec eval shapeup-pitch -p checkout-improvement
# Score: 85% (PASS)

# 4. Pitch goes to betting table (human decision)
# If bet, assign team and cycle

# 5. During building, track scopes
multispec draft shapeup-scope -p checkout-improvement
# Update hill positions as work progresses

# 6. Check status
multispec status -p checkout-improvement

Rubric Categories¶

Pitch Evaluation¶

Category	Weight	Description
Problem Definition	20%	Is the problem clear and worth solving?
Appetite	20%	Is the time budget appropriate and reasoned?
Solution Shaping	25%	Is the solution at the right abstraction level?
Risk Management	20%	Are rabbit holes and no-gos identified?
Document Quality	15%	Is the pitch clear and actionable?

Principles¶

Fixed Time, Variable Scope - Appetite sets the time; scope flexes to fit
Shaping - Define at the right level of abstraction
Betting Not Planning - No backlogs, bet on shaped pitches
Small Teams - One designer, one or two programmers
Full Responsibility - Teams have full autonomy during the cycle
Circuit Breaker - If it's not working, stop
Cool-Down - Two-week break between cycles
No Backlogs - If it's important, it will come back
Appetite Not Estimates - How much time is this worth?
Hill Charts - Track uncertainty, not completion