shape-up

What problem does it solve?

Shape Up helps product teams escape estimate-driven development and Scrum fatigue by fixing time boxes, variable scope, and collaborative shaping. It provides a disciplined alternative to traditional backlog and estimation, enabling teams to ship meaningful work within a cycle.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Shaping sessions: Product, design, and engineering collaborate to define a pitch that fits within a fixed appetite and yields 10 or fewer concrete pieces.
• Betting over backlogs: Leadership selects which pitches to fund, using explicit appetite and time-bound commitments.
• Building with ownership: Teams build in fixed time boxes (typically 6 weeks), track progress with hill charts, and take a cool-down between cycles.
• Phases and outputs: Shaping, Betting, and Building produce a pitch document that describes the problem, appetite, proposed solution, and moving pieces.

Quick Start

• Gather a 3-hour shaping session with product, design, and engineering to narrow the problem, generate 10 or fewer moving pieces, and agree on an appetite.
• Write a pitch that includes the problem, appetite, solution sketch, rabbit holes, and no-gos.
• At kickoff, map the shaped pitch to 9 implementation scopes and confirm the time box fits.