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131: Ryan Singer - How Basecamp Builds Software

Topics include:

  • Why "fixed time, variable scope" is so important for actually getting things done
  • Integrating development and design into a single process instead of design first, develop later
  • What it means to "shape" work before deciding to work on it
  • What it means to "bet" on a project, and why Basecamp would rather trash a project than extend the deadline by an extra week
  • Taking deadlines seriously, and how it empowers teams to make their own decisions about scope to avoid having to trash the project
  • An example of a project at Basecamp that failed to ship, and working through what they did wrong that led to that outcome
  • De-risking projects by getting input from technical experts on the team before committing to actually doing the work
  • What exactly is the deliverable a design/development team receives from leadership at the start of a project that they are expected to be able to succeed with?
  • The difference between macro planning and micro planning on a project
  • How Basecamp avoids iterating on solutions within a cycle without turning projects into fixed time, fixed scope
  • Why designers at Basecamp start by actually building the very rough "Times New Roman" version of a UI with HTML and CSS before spending time on high fidelity visual design decisions
  • Applying "Shape Up" on client projects
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