Shape Up: work in six-week cycles

When to use it

• Projects drag on forever.
• You want to cap the time a topic can consume.
• Sprints don't suit you.

How to do it, step by step

1. Set the “appetite”: how much time is this problem worth (for example 2 or 6 weeks).
2. Shape the solution: broad strokes, boundaries and risks, without detailing everything.
3. Choose the cycle's bets: only start what is shaped.
4. Let the team build the project autonomously during the cycle.
5. At the end of the cycle, ship or drop it, then take a cool-down before the next one.

Example

Appetite: 6 weeks to “redo the sign-up screen”. Shape: 3-step flow, social login out of scope. If it isn't finished by week six, you stop and reassess.

In FluidOps

In FluidOps' “Other tools” tab, fill in the board with your team, save it and export it as PNG or PDF.

Try it in FluidOps →

Going further

• The Scrum method: roles, events and artifacts
• Why 80% of project plans fail (and how to avoid it)

Same family

• OKR
• Opportunity Solution Tree (OST)
• Ansoff matrix
• GE / McKinsey matrix
• All methods
• Start from your problem: which tool for which problem?