Ryan Singer, Head of Product Strategy at Basecamp and author of 'Shape Up,' shares insights on effective work management methodologies. He discusses how Shape Up emerged from Basecamp's experiences, enabling teams to focus on meaningful work. Ryan explains the importance of structured planning, project betting, and visual tools like hill charts for managing uncertainty. He also emphasizes team autonomy and collaboration for successful software development, wrapping up with an invitation to his upcoming workshop in Detroit.
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Basecamp V1's 10-Hour Work Week
Basecamp V1 was built with one programmer working only 10 hours per week.
This constraint forced the team to focus on what they could achieve within those limited hours.
insights INSIGHT
Cycles, Not Sprints
Calling development periods "cycles" instead of "sprints" reduces anxiety.
This removes the pressure of constant rushing, promoting sustainable work habits.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Six-Week Cycles and Cool Downs
Work in six-week cycles with a two-week cooldown period.
This allows for focused building followed by time for bug fixes, reflection, and planning.
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Shape Up is a book by Ryan Singer that provides a practical framework for managing software development projects. It emphasizes the importance of shaping work to fit within fixed time constraints, rather than fixing the scope and letting the time vary. The book introduces a three-stage process: shaping, building, and batting, which helps teams focus on delivering valuable work efficiently. Shape Up promotes a more collaborative and autonomous approach, empowering teams to make decisions and solve problems independently. The book's principles have been adopted by numerous teams and organizations seeking to improve their product development processes.
Getting Real
The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application
37signals
Getting Real outlines the philosophy and practices of 37signals, emphasizing simplicity, speed, and efficiency in software development. The book is packed with insights on keeping things simple, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and focusing on core problems. It covers topics such as self-funding, flexible scope, lean operations, and the importance of real, running software. The book is not a technical manual but a collection of big-picture ideas applicable to various aspects of web application development and beyond.
Ryan Singer, head of Product Strategy at Basecamp, joined the show to talk about their newest book — Shape Up: Stop running in circles and ship work that matters. It’s written by Ryan himself and you can read it right now for free online at Basecamp.com/shapeup.
We talked about the back story of the book, how the methodology for Shape Up developed from within at Basecamp, the principles and methodologies of Shape Up, how teams of varying sizes can implement Shape Up. Ryan even shared a special invitation to our listeners near the end of the show to his live and in-person Shape Up workshop on August 28th in Detroit, Michigan.
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