Agent skill · product strategy · wondelai
37signals-way
Build lean, opinionated products using the 37signals philosophy from "Getting Real", "Rework", and "Shape Up". Use when the user mentions "Getting Real", "Rework", "Shape Up", "37signals", "Basecamp method", "six-week cycles", "fixed time variable scope", "appetite vs estimates", "betting table", "breadboarding", "fat marker sketch", "build less", "underdo the competition", "opinionated software", "we have too many meetings", "how do we ship faster", or "stop overbuilding". Also trigger when cutting scope to ship sooner, running a small team, or avoiding long-term roadmaps. Covers shaping, betting, building, and the art of saying no. For MVP validation, see lean-startup. For design sprints, see design-sprint.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured framework for product development that emphasizes lean principles and decision-making processes not commonly found in standard practices.
What it needs
About 9k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-22. 1,856 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
The 37signals Product Development Framework A system for building profitable software without bloat, bureaucracy, or burnout, distilled from three books: Getting Real (build less), Rework (say no by default), and Shape Up (fix time, flex scope). Use it to shape work, bet on six-week cycles, run small autonomous teams, and ship on a predictable cadence. Core Principle Build less. The best products do fewer things exceptionally well — simplicity is the destination, not the starting point. Traditional development adds; the 37signals way subtracts: build half a product (not a half-assed product), say no by default, fix the time and flex the scope. Constraints are what make great work possible — six weeks, three people, and a shaped pitch force you to find the essential version. Scoring Goal: 10/10. Rate product plans, feature scopes, and team processes 0-10 against these principles. Report the current score and the specific changes needed to reach 10/10. 9-10: Fixed-time cycles, shaped pitches, small teams, no backlog, opinionated defaults, clear copy 7-8: Mostly shaped work and small teams, but some scope creep or process overhead 5-6: Some shaping happens, but backlogs persist, teams are too large, or preferences replace decisions 3-4: Heavy process (standups, sprints, story points) with occasional simplicity efforts 0-2: Feature factory: long-term roadmaps, large teams, estimation rituals, no shaping 1. Build Less, Underdo the Competition Core concept: Win through deliberate omission — fewer features, fewer preferences, fewer moving parts, each done better than competitors do theirs. Build software you need yourself and solve problems you understand deeply. Why it works: Every feature carries maintenance, cognitive, and opportunity costs forever, usually for a fraction of users. Building less keeps the product focused, the codebase manageable, and the team small. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills wondelai/37signals-way