Book · 15 min read

Shape Up: Set Boundaries (Appetite)

Ryan Singer · Basecamp / 37signals Free Intermediate

This chapter is the clearest argument for our claim that a long timeline means your scope is wrong. Basecamp starts with a fixed time budget (the appetite) and cuts the design to fit, instead of estimating a fixed scope and watching time balloon. If your MVP keeps slipping, this gives you the mental model to fix it.

  • Fix the time and vary the scope, not the other way around
  • An appetite starts with a number and ends with a design
  • A deadline that cannot move forces the hard cuts for you
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The question it answers

  1. How long should building an MVP take?

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