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World Congress 2025 • Aug 20, 2025 • Session details

Shaping Up: Rethinking Product Development with Basecamp's Shape Up Methodology

Sebastian Gierlinger

Discover how Storyblok escaped Scrum bottlenecks by adopting Basecamp's Shape Up methodology. Empower your engineers to solve complex problems instead of executing endless micro-tasks.

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#1 about 2 min

Storyblok engineering context and tech stack overview

Operating a fully remote organization requires a robust backend architecture and clear software engineering practices.

#2 about 2 min

Overcoming bottlenecks in centralized technical leadership

A single technical leader dictating daily tasks creates severe delivery bottlenecks as the engineering team scales.

#3 about 2 min

Rebuilding application architecture with fixed scrum teams

Restructuring teams around specific product areas using scrum methodology improves focus but introduces new constraints.

#4 about 3 min

Cross-functional challenges and silos in fixed squads

Fixed teams struggle to deliver major cross-domain features and often become bogged down by maintenance tasks.

#5 about 5 min

Adopting the shape up software development methodology

Transitioning from endless backlogs to implementation cycles and cooling down periods focuses resources on specific prioritized bets.

#6 about 2 min

Dividing product development into shaping and building streams

Separating the discovery track from the delivery track ensures thorough definition before development begins.

#7 about 2 min

Modifying methodology rules for organizational specific needs

Adding mandatory code reviews and a dedicated maintenance team addresses the practical realities of software quality.

#8 about 3 min

Evaluating the operational impact of shape up

Structured cycles promote developer autonomy while simultaneously exposing individual performance and required seniority levels.

Matching moments

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Combining frameworks to create a custom agile methodology

Milton Leon Rodriguez Milton Leon Rodriguez · World Congress 2025

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Using Scrum, stoicism, and systems thinking for engineering

Ivan Milanov Ivan Milanov · Europe 2026 Virtual

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Pivoting product strategy toward platform engineering

Alejandro Albuerne Alejandro Albuerne · World Congress 2026 Europe

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Speaker background and shifting from developer to Scrum Master

Evelyn Forstner · LIVE

2:23 min

Restructuring the operating model for software engineering

Parag Parekh · World Congress 2022

3:07 min

Transitioning to agile methodologies for faster software delivery

Francesco Ciulla Francesco Ciulla · World Congress 2023

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