Shape Up

Shape Up is a guide to how we work at Basecamp. It's also a toolbox full of techniques that you can apply in your own way to your own process. Whether you're a founder, CTO, product manager, designer, or developer, you're probably here because of some common challenges: growing teams, growing backlogs, and never enough time to do everything you want. In Shape Up, Ryan Singer details Basecamp's process for turning ideas into reality. The book covers all aspects of the process, from setting boundaries with six-week cycles and two-week cool-downs, to shaping raw ideas into concrete projects, betting on which shaped work to pursue, building with integrated teams, and shipping on time. This isn't about imposing a rigid methodology on your team. It's about learning principles and techniques you can apply in your own way.