"Ryan Singer (@rjs) and his Shape Up method is an incredible system that takes as input 'kludgy, clumsily scaled product org unsure about what to build and how' and delivers as output 'a focused clear thinking set of teams that has a rhythm, a method, and a purpose.” That's how @destraynor (co-founder of @Intercom) described the impact Ryan Singer and the Shape Up method have on teams. Ryan spent nearly two decades refining a product development approach at @37signals that helped the company build super-successful products with small teams. Based on these lessons, he wrote a book called "Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters," which describes a different way of working that an increasing number of companies are adopting. If your team used to run smoothly but is now struggling to ship great product, this episode is for you. In our conversation, Ryan shares: 1. A step-by-step approach to transitioning from Scrum to Shape Up by piloting the methodology with a single team before broader implementation. 2. Why traditional Agile and Scrum methods often lead teams into endless cycles of work without meaningful shipping milestones. 3. The “appetite-driven” approach to product development where teams set fixed timeboxes (usually six weeks maximum) and vary the scope instead of expanding timelines. 4. The exact process for running effective “shaping” sessions that collaboratively define projects before committing resources. 5. How to adapt Shape Up principles to your company’s unique context, even if it’s nothing like Basecamp. 6. Practical techniques for bridging the engineering-design divide by bringing technical and product perspectives together earlier in the process. 7. The powerful “breadboarding” and “fat marker sketching” techniques that help teams align on solutions without getting lost in high-fidelity details. 8. The clear warning signs that your current development process is failing before it’s too late to change course. 9. Proven strategies to implement Shape Up methods, whether you’re working in a startup or enterprise environment. 10. Why the PM role shifts upstream in Shape Up, focusing more on problem definition than project management. Listen now 👇 • YouTube: youtu.be/GF-yUANql0c • Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0z5… • Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for supporting the podcast: 🏆 @WorkOS — Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: workos.com/lenny 🏆 @merge_api — A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app: merge.dev/lenny 🏆 @airtable ProductCentral — Launch to new heights with a unified system for product development: airtable.com/lenny