Shaping your Project

I read this amazing book on basecamp by Ryan Singer: Shape Up.

This book includes some of the most interesting perspectives on how one can ship the work that actually matters without getting exhausted or making it too heavy!

Shaping your project in the right way is the most important step to achieving your definite goal.

When we shape the work, we need to do it at the right level of abstraction: not too vague and not too concrete.

When you make your project too concrete and define it too specifically exact, there is no space for imagination. You cannot cut corners or introduce new perspectives. This makes it too heavy and it becomes a road to nowhere.
On the other hand, when we make it too vague, you don't know what’s in and what’s out. There is no basis and you don’t have enough possibilities to make trade-offs.

It’s Rough

Your project in the shaping stage should be rough. It should be open to changes. Like jotting it down with a pencil on a sheet of paper. You could see that there is scope for imagination and it is basically unfinished.

It’s Solved

Your project, even at the shaping stage, must have been thought through. You must have a vision of who is it for and for whom it is not. Just a zoomed-out perspective of the whole structure. You must know what is meant for and how you can take it forward.

It’s Bounded

Just like you have a fixed appetite, similarly, this project should too. You should know when to stop and then start the next version. Limiting the time will limit the scope to perfection and will lead to a finishing mindset. It should clearly mention what not to do.

Hence, taking all these together will open doors to effective shaping! You will not get stuck or overdo it. It’s a creative space with limiting guard rails.