Essay · ~3 min read

Getting Real: Half, Not Half-Assed

Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson · Basecamp (37signals) Free Beginner

A runaway roadmap is usually a list of every decent idea, and this piece is the antidote. Build half a product that is great rather than a full product that is mediocre, then cut the feature list in half again. For an early founder tempted to plan quarters of features, it reframes cutting as the point, not the compromise.

  • Ship half a product, not a half done product
  • Cut your feature list, then cut it again
  • Real usage, not a plan, tells you what to build next
Open on basecamp.com ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. How do I build a roadmap without over-planning?
  2. Should we ship an ugly, half-working version now or wait until it feels good enough to be proud of?

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