The pitch goes to the betting table for consideration. The pitch summarizes the problem, constraints, solution, rabbit holes, and limitations. Once we think we’ve shaped it enough to potentially bet on, we package it with a formal write-up called a pitch . We amend the solution, cut things out of it, or specify details at certain tricky spots to prevent the team from getting stuck or wasting time. Address risks and rabbit holes. Once we think we have a solution, we take a hard look at it to find holes or unanswered questions that could trip up the team.The output of this step is an idea that solves the problem within the appetite but without all the fine details worked out.

We do this at a higher level of abstraction than wireframes in order to move fast and explore a wide enough range of possibilities.

Rough out the elements. Then comes the creative work of sketching a solution.

This gives us the basic boundaries to shape into.

Set boundaries. First we figure out how much time the raw idea is worth and how to define the problem.

There’s a specific appetite-the amount of time the team is allowed to spend on the project.

Lastly, shaped work indicates what not to do.

All the main elements of the solution are there at the macro level and they connect together.

Despite being rough and unfinished, shaped work has been thought through.

They can see the open spaces where their contributions will go. Everyone can tell by looking at it that it’s unfinished. That gives the shapers the option to put work-in-progress on the shelf or drop it when it’s not working out.

Work on the shaping track is kept private and not shared with the wider team until the commitment has been made to bet on it.

It sketches out the UI/UX and how the new screens interact with existing software features. Shaping builds a feature based on how the user interacts with the product.On the other end of the spectrum, projects that are too vague don’t work either.This leaves designers no room for creativity. When design leaders go straight to wireframes or high-fidelity mockups, they define too much detail too early.

Product design involves shaping the work, which gives us enough detail to know what to make and roughly how to do it, without being overly prescriptive.

After six weeks if you still think it's worth doing you can propose it again.

If a project doesn't get approved for a six-week cycle, it is not automatically proposed again.

No backlogs, no Kanban, no velocity tracking, none of that.

The Shape Up process proceeds one six-week cycle at a time, with a week or two in between each interval for various maintenance tasks and to prepare the next cycle.

Since the book is freely available, I've just included many of my highlights here verbatim and marked them with blockquotes.

These notes are heavily based on highlights of the Shape Up book.

Winnie the pooh classic book