Basecamp started off in 2003 as a tool we built for ourselves. At the time we were a consultancy designing websites for clients. Information would get lost in the game of telephone between the client, the designer, and the person managing the project. We wanted Basecamp to be a centralized place where all parties could see the work, discuss it, and know what to do next. It turned out lots of companies had this “information slipping through the cracks” problem. Today millions of people across all kinds of industries rely on Basecamp as their shared source of truth.
If you’ve been dealing with growing the product and haven’t read this book from Basecamp guys, you’ve missed a lot.
I’ll just keep a summary of things here for quick references in the future:
- Six-week Cycles instead of Agile, SCRUM, and other methodologies. Long enough to thoughtfully work on features. Short enough to keep up with deadlines
- Shaping up work. “How long are we ready to invest in this task?” instead of “How long will it take?”. Tasks are shaped abstract enough to have someplace for creativity.
- Team full responsibility. Teams aren’t ticket-takers. * Targeting risks. Close open questions before setting timeframes for the work.
The rest will follow along with reading the book.