Shape Up
- 340 installs
- 43 repo stars
- Updated March 7, 2026
- pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management
shape-up is an agent skill that applies the Shape Up product framework to define six-week bets with appetite and circuit breakers for developers who scope ambiguous features without estimate-driven planning.
About
shape-up is an agent skill from pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management that implements the Shape Up method created by Ryan Singer at Basecamp. The skill triggers on shape up, run a shaping session, set an appetite, scope a project without estimates, betting table, or ship in fixed cycles. Shape Up uses fixed time boxes, variable scope, and collaborative shaping to escape estimate-driven development and Scrum fatigue. Inputs include product context, feature ideas, and constraints; outputs are bounded six-week bets with explicit appetite, identified rabbit holes, and circuit breakers. Engineering leads and PMs reach for shape-up when backlog grooming produces endless tickets but shipping predictably matters more than precision estimates.
- Appetite vs estimate
- pitch and breadboard templates
- rabbit-hole callouts
- betting table agenda
- cool-down scope rules
Shape Up by the numbers
- 340 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +12 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #840 of 3,282 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 340 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 43 |
| Last updated | March 7, 2026 |
| Repository | pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management ↗ |
How do you scope features without story estimates?
Shape ambiguous initiatives into bounded six-week bets with clear appetite, rabbit holes, and circuit breakers instead of endless backlog grooming.
Who is it for?
Product and engineering leads framing ambiguous initiatives into fixed-cycle bets before implementation starts.
Skip if: Teams needing detailed hour-level estimates, strict Scrum ceremonies, or purely technical debugging workflows.
When should I use this skill?
A developer or PM asks to shape up, set appetite, run a shaping session, betting table, or scope without estimates.
What you get
Six-week bet definition, appetite statement, rabbit-hole list, circuit breakers, and betting-table-ready pitch.
- Six-week bet pitch
- Appetite and rabbit-hole document
- Circuit breaker list
By the numbers
- Centers planning on six-week bet cycles with fixed time boxes
Files
Domain Context
This skill implements a proven product management framework. The approach combines best practices from industry leaders and is designed for practical application in day-to-day PM work.
Input Requirements
- Context about your product, feature, or problem
- Relevant data, research, or constraints (recommended but optional)
- Clear articulation of what you're trying to achieve
Shape Up
What It Is
Shape Up is a product development methodology built on one core insight: you cannot estimate your way to shipping—you must shape your way there.
Traditional approaches ask "How long will this take?" and then try to hit that estimate. Shape Up flips this: decide upfront how much time you're willing to spend (the appetite), then shape a version of the solution that fits within that constraint.
The methodology emerged from 17 years of building Basecamp, where the founding team faced an unusual constraint: their only engineer (DHH) worked just 10 hours per week. This forced extreme clarity about what to build and ruthless scoping to ensure every hour counted.
The key shift: Move from "What's the estimate for this?" to "What version of this can we confidently ship in the time we're willing to spend?"
When to Use It
Use Shape Up when you need to:
- Stop projects from dragging — work that should take weeks is taking months
- Escape the estimate trap — you're tired of estimates that are always wrong
- Give teams real autonomy — not just ticket execution
- Reduce meeting overhead — Scrum rituals are consuming your time
- Ship meaningful chunks — not just incremental tickets
- Align product and engineering — there's a wall between them today
- Maintain startup speed — as you scale past 30-50 people
When Not to Use It
- You're 3 people or fewer — just talk to each other
- There's no real complexity
- You can't get engineering into shaping
- Leadership isn't bought in
- You're doing pure maintenance
Resources
Books:
- Shape Up by Ryan Singer (free at basecamp.com/shapeup)
- Demand-Side Sales 101 by Bob Moesta
Further Reading
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Use shape-up when fixed-cycle bets beat backlog estimates; use technical planning skills when the task is implementation design rather than product shaping.
FAQ
What is the shape-up skill based on?
shape-up implements the Shape Up method created by Ryan Singer at Basecamp. The framework uses fixed time boxes, variable scope, and collaborative shaping instead of estimate-driven development.
What outputs does a shape-up session produce?
shape-up produces a bounded six-week bet with an explicit appetite, documented rabbit holes, and circuit breakers. The pitch is ready for a betting table decision without traditional story-point estimates.