Shaping Up: Rethinking Product Development with Basecamp's Shape Up Methodology

Is your Scrum process creating more bottlenecks than it solves? Learn how Shape Up helps teams ship major features with greater autonomy and focus.

#1about 5 minutes

The evolution of development from CTO-led to Scrum

The company's journey from a centralized, CTO-driven model to adopting Scrum with product owners and specialized teams.

#2about 2 minutes

Identifying the limitations of a fixed-squad Scrum model

Fixed teams in a remote setting led to knowledge silos, development bottlenecks, and difficulties in shipping large, cross-functional features.

#3about 4 minutes

Understanding the core principles of the Shape Up methodology

Shape Up uses six-week cycles with fixed time and variable scope, replacing estimates with 'appetite' and backlogs with a 'betting table' for prioritization.

#4about 2 minutes

Implementing Shape Up with dual shaping and development streams

The practical implementation involves parallel work streams where product managers shape upcoming work while development teams build features in focused cycles.

#5about 2 minutes

Adapting the Shape Up methodology for practical use

Key adaptations include adjusting cycle lengths, creating a dedicated maintenance team to protect focus, and retaining mandatory code reviews for quality.

#6about 2 minutes

Learnings from a year of using the Shape Up framework

Adopting Shape Up fostered strategic decision-making and team autonomy but also highlighted the need for senior developers and a gradual approach to cultural change.