Episode description

Ryan Singer is the author of Shape Up, a framework that has changed the way modern leaders approach planning and managing software development. As part of the founding team of Basecamp, Ryan deeply influenced the early software-as-a-service industry. Over 17 years, he designed features used by millions and invented processes for designing, developing, and shipping software, evolving from UI Designer to Head of Strategy. He’s now fully focused on supporting product and engineering leaders to enhance the performance of their teams by implementing the Shape Up framework.

In this conversation, we break down the framework from a practical perspective. We discuss how Shape Up flips the traditional project approach by starting with the question of how much time the team wants to spend on a project, rather than estimating the time needed.

Ryan talks about time bombs, items that in traditional agile processes tend to surprise us during development and delay the release. He explains how shaping can minimize these and how you can gradually incorporate it within your existing processes.

We debunk the most common misconceptions about the framework and cover strategies for resolving common challenges.

It’s a very insightful conversation and I hope it challenges your view of traditional software development.