shape-up
Skill8 starsChanged 9 months agoMITView on GitHub
Applies Ryan Singer's Shape Up methodology to help product teams ship meaningful work on a fixed cycle. Use when shaping raw ideas into pitches, setting appetite, running a betting table, tracking progress with hill charts, scope hammering, or when user mentions pitches, cool-down, building period, appetite, breadboards, fat marker sketches, betting table, hill charts, scopes, or cycle planning.
2 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- lalulali/vespyrtheir own version, first seen Nov 6, 2026
- marcos-sponton/frameworks-as-skillstheir own version, first seen Oct 13, 2026
Other versions2 projects use a version of this.
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Wrote their own version · 2
- lalulali/vespyr★ 11same name
- marcos-sponton/frameworks-as-skills★ 1same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository4 other files it gives its agents.
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- continuous-discoverySkill
- jobs-to-be-doneSkill
- story-mappingSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
3 rules. About 0 are common, 2 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈2
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
1
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 30
Never ask "How long will this take?" Ask "How much is this worth?" A small batch is worth 1–2 weeks.
- Very specific: line 34
Use the AskUserQuestion tool to determine what the user needs:
- Distinctive: line 67
Read reference files before proceeding with any workflow.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Shape Up
I help product teams ship meaningful work in fixed cycles using Ryan Singer's Shape Up methodology. Shape Up is built on a simple idea: fixed time, variable scope. You set an appetite — the maximum time worth spending — and shape a solution that fits. No backlogs. No estimates. Bets placed at the betting table. Teams build autonomously. Progress tracked on hill charts.
Essential Principles
Fixed Time, Variable Scope
Estimates grow to fill whatever time you give them. Shape Up inverts the relationship: time is fixed (the appetite), scope is variable. If the work can't fit in the appetite, you cut it — not the deadline.
Shaping Happens Before Betting
Work doesn't go to a team until it's been shaped. Shaped means: the problem is defined, the solution is sketched at the right level of abstraction, rabbit holes are identified, and the work has a clear appetite. Unshaped work is a risk you haven't priced.
Bets, Not Backlogs
There is no backlog. At the betting table, you choose what to build next from a pool of shaped pitches. What doesn't get bet on doesn't get scheduled. Nothing accumulates. Nothing lingers. Every cycle is a fresh decision.
Teams Have Full Autonomy
Once a pitch is bet on, the team owns the work. They scope it, design it, build it, and ship it. Management doesn't assign tasks. There are no daily standups. The hill chart is the signal — not status meetings.
Appetite, Not Estimates
Never ask "How long will this take?" Ask "How much is this worth?" A small batch is worth 1–2 weeks. A big batch is worth 6 weeks. If the team can't solve the problem in that time, the pitch needs to be reshaped or abandoned.
Intake
Use the AskUserQuestion tool to determine what the user needs:
Question: "Where are you in your Shape Up cycle?"
Options:
- Shape a pitch — Turn a raw idea into a shaped pitch with appetite, solution sketch, and no-gos
- Run a betting table — Evaluate shaped pitches and decide what to build this cycle
- Track cycle progress — Use hill charts to surface stuck scopes and decide what to cut
- Scope hammer — Work is exceeding appetite; cut to ship what matters
Routing
| Response | Workflow |
| 1, "shape", "pitch", "idea", "appetite", "breadboard", "sketch", "rabbit hole" | workflows/shape-pitch.md |
| 2, "bet", "betting table", "cycle", "planning", "pitch review", "what to build" | workflows/run-betting-table.md |
| 3, "hill chart", "progress", "stuck", "scope", "uphill", "downhill", "tracking" | workflows/track-progress.md |
| 4, "scope hammer", "cut", "over budget", "too much", "won't finish", "ship" | workflows/scope-hammer.md |
| other | Clarify intent using Shape Up language, then route appropriately |
After identifying intent, read the matching workflow and follow it exactly.
Note: If the task involves code — building prototypes, setting up tooling, integrating with project trackers — recommend
EnterPlanModebefore proceeding.
Framework Selection
| Shape Up Activity | Primary Reference | Key Concepts |
| Shaping ideas, setting appetite | core-concepts.md | Appetite, shaping spectrum, fat marker sketches, breadboards |
| Betting table decisions | principles.md | Bets not backlogs, circuit breaker, cool-down |
| Progress tracking | core-concepts.md | Hill charts, scopes, uphill vs. downhill work |
| Scope cutting | anti-patterns.md | Scope hammering, must-haves vs. nice-to-haves |
Read reference files before proceeding with any workflow.
References
Core Knowledge:
- core-concepts.md — Appetite, fixed time/variable scope, hill charts, shaping spectrum, breadboards
- principles.md — Bets not backlogs, appetite not estimates, cycle rhythm, senior people shape
- anti-patterns.md — 20+ anti-patterns organized by Shape Up phase
Workflows
| Workflow | Purpose |
| shape-pitch.md | Turn raw ideas into shaped pitches with appetite, solution sketch, and no-gos |
| run-betting-table.md | Evaluate shaped pitches and make bet/no-bet decisions for the next cycle |
| track-progress.md | Map scopes to hill charts, identify stuck work, decide what to cut or push |
| scope-hammer.md | Cut scope aggressively to ship within appetite |
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