Shape Up is a product development method created by Ryan Singer at Basecamp. It's an alternative to Scrum or Kanban that helps teams ship meaningful features in six-week cycles without all the meetings.

Core Principles of Shape Up

1. Shaping Work Before Building

Instead of detailed specs or vague ideas, Shape Up finds a middle ground called "shaping." It means:

• Outlining problems and solutions at a high level
• Setting clear boundaries
• Giving enough detail to guide without micromanaging
• Clearly saying what's not included

The idea is to make work ready for teams without boxing them in.

2. Six-Week Cycles

Teams work in six-week cycles:

• Long enough to build something real
• Short enough to keep focus
• No overtime or extensions - if it doesn't fit, it doesn't ship

Between cycles, there's a two-week cooldown to fix bugs, explore ideas, and recharge.

3. Betting on Pitches

Shape Up doesn't use never-ending backlogs. Instead, it treats projects as "bets":

• Shaped work gets pitched
• Leaders "bet" on which projects get a cycle
• If a pitch isn't selected, it's gone - not stored in a backlog
• This forces you to focus on what really matters

4. Small, Autonomous Teams

Teams in Shape Up are:

• Small (usually 1-3 people)
• Mix of designers and developers
• Fully responsible for their project
• Free to decide how to implement

There are no daily standups or sprint meetings - teams figure out how to work together.

Getting Started with Shape Up

Switching to Shape Up means rethinking how you build products:

1. Start small: Try it with one team for one cycle
2. Find your shapers: Look for people who can define problems and set boundaries
3. Reset expectations: Help everyone understand the betting approach
4. Create feedback loops: Build ways for teams to share progress without micromanagement

The Upsides

• Focus: Teams can concentrate without interruptions
• Realistic scope: Built-in limits force practical decisions
• Less meeting time: Fewer status updates and planning sessions
• Better alignment: Everyone understands priorities

The Challenges

Shape Up isn't for everyone:

• It works best with experienced teams
• It can be tough for companies with fixed deadlines
• Not having a backlog feels weird at first

Conclusion

Shape Up is a fresh take on product development that embraces constraints, autonomy, and focused work. It's a big change, but many teams find it leads to better outcomes and healthier work patterns.

Hillia lets you use hill charts - a key part of Shape Up - without going all-in on Basecamp, giving you flexibility in how you implement these ideas.