Shape Up is about driving ideas through to shipped code. Singer delivers a "from the trenches" perspective on methods that work for Basecamp. The methods hang together as a whole. The theory and explanations do not. No matter; these are just the "noble lie" that helps their team stick to the methods. If perfect theory were a prerequisite for good practice we would all be in trouble. This book is about getting things done, and it is in keeping with one of it's themes it is good enough.

Singer provides several variable to adjust within Basecamp's approach to fit your team, your needs, and your resources. He also provides sound advice about when to reassess and adjust those variables. Shape Up is useful both as a potential starting point for a development team's practices, and as a source of good ideas to refine existing practices. ( )

Good book on the lifecycle of projects at Basecamp with some nice abstractions for thinking about your own work. It's not clear how immediately applicable this is for a solo developer, but the ideas are very interesting and they are concrete in a way that's rare with these kinds of workflow books. ( )