I love Shape Up.
For the uninitiated: Shape Up isn't really a new tool or framework, it's a different way of thinking about software development — one that's especially well-suited to the realities of building with AI.
At first glance, Shape Up looks like another project management method. But it's more foundational than that. It starts from a different premise: building software isn't about executing on a cast-iron plan, it's about making considered bets under uncertainty. That's especially important when technology is evolving as fast as it is today.
Most teams still operate within variations of Scrum. These tend to assume scope is sacred and time is elastic: the goal is to finish all the tickets that make up your solution, even if it takes longer.
Shape Up flips this. It says: fix the time, flex the scope - and focus on the problem. Why?
First, because success in a project isn't about doing everything you said you'd do — it's about meeting the underlying user need. Secondly, because time constraints force clarity of thought - drearily punching tickets does not.
For this approach to work, all team members must have a robust understanding of the why - before they jump into the how. At the outset, therefore, someone writes a "pitch". Not a PRD, not a spec — but a clear, thoughtful articulation of the problem, the context, and any constraints. The pitch sets the stage so that smart people can make smart trade-offs, collaborating together to solve problems with the latest & greatest technologies available.
Shape Up's insistence on clarity at the outset but flexibility on implementation is more relevant than ever today. AI is evolving at a breakneck pace. What was hard a month ago may now be as trivial as opening Cursor. What was impossible may now be the baseline. Methods that rely on rigid, stepwise planning can't keep up. Shape Up can.
Of course, like any methodology, Shape Up isn't something to follow blindly. Even its creators encourage organizations to mold it to their needs. The six-week cycle, for example, is a useful default — not a rule. Some teams might need four. Some, eight. What matters is keeping the core principles: fixed time, shaped work, thoughtful trade-offs, and trust in the team to execute. These hold up — even as details assume a different…shape.
In a world where technological possibility is expanding faster than our ability to plan, Shape Up offers something rare: a way to be decisive without being rigid, deliberate without being slow.
That's not just useful — it's essential.