product-specification

A shaped specification is a bounded, time-boxed pitch that defines problem, solution, core flow, and risks for engineers. This Skill converts prioritized features into shaped specs by applying fixed appetite, explicit scope boundaries, and rabbit hole identification—turning requirements into engineering-ready documents ready for sprint or Shape Up workflows.

Acceptance criteria define what done looks like for each user story. This Skill structures criteria within the shaped pitch framework, mapping user story backbones to acceptance conditions, ensuring engineers know boundaries and edge cases before building.

Risk logging in shaped specs captures rabbit holes, no-gos, and technical unknowns before handoff. This Skill guides you to document risks explicitly in the specification template, preventing scope creep and helping engineers anticipate blockers during implementation.

Yes. Shaped specifications apply directly to fixed-time, variable-scope workflows by setting a hard appetite ceiling and adjusting scope within that boundary. This Skill structures specs to enforce time-boxing while keeping scope flexible, aligning with both Shape Up and sprint-based planning.

A user story backbone is a walking skeleton—the core user journey stripped to essentials. This Skill uses the backbone to map acceptance criteria and define scope boundaries, ensuring stakeholders and engineers agree on the minimum viable flow before detailed implementation.

Shaped pitches communicate appetite (time/resources budgeted) and scope boundaries (what's in, what's out) in a structured format. This Skill generates Problem, Current State, Evidence, Solution, and Rabbit Hole sections that make trade-offs and constraints visible to all parties before engineering starts.