Shape Up Methodology: Reflections on working agile
So we are all on the same page Shape Up is a product development methodology developed by Basecamp. It aims to provide a more structured yet flexible approach to managing projects, particularly in software development.
Initial thoughts
ShapeUp represents a significant departure from traditional agile methodologies. Instead of working in two-week sprints, the method operates in six-week cycles with two-week cooldown periods. The process begins with a “shaping” phase where work is carefully defined into pitches before any development starts.
Today, I participated in my first kick-off meeting as part of the Shape Up method. As someone new to this process, it was both exciting and challenging to immerse myself in a completely different approach to project development. The meeting was led by the same person who had prepared the pitch, which provided excellent coherence and structure throughout the entire session.
It was particularly interesting to experience how this approach differed from tradtional project mettings using the Agile working method. We had a thorough review of the pitch, with ample opportunity to ask questions and discuss various aspects of the solution and how it in the end would impact the users. This created a deeper understanding of the project’s scope and what isn’t.
The meeting’s structure, where we systematically went through different parts of the pitch, gave me, as a new participant, a good opportunity to follow along and understand the thinking behind the ShapeUp method. It was clear that this thorough approach to the initial phase is a central part of the methodology, and I could feel how it helped create a shared understanding within the team.
By this point I got introducted to:
- Scope Mapping - Focuses on narrowing down the whole project into scopes/“tasks” seen from the end users perspective.
- Hill charts - Designed to visualize project progress and highlight risks and unknowns. Reaching the top of the hill signifies that all uncertainties have been addressed, making the development process straightforward from that point onward.
