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# Implementing 4-Week Cycles
---
## Agenda
1. **Why We're Changing**
2. **Introducing the 4-Week Cycle**
3. **Key Concepts from Shape Up**
4. **Project Selection and Incentives**
5. **Roles and Responsibilities**
6. **Supporting Our Team**
7. **Aligning with Fence Values**
8. **Questions and Discussion**
9. **Next Steps**
---
## 1. Why We're Changing
---
- **Our Goals:**
- Increase speed and efficiency
- Improve product quality
- Better meet our clients' needs
- **Current Challenges:**
- Unclear objectives and priorities
- Overextension and lack of focus
- Need for improved alignment across teams
---
## 2. Introducing the 4-Week Cycle
---
- **What is a 4-Week Cycle?**
- Fixed timeframe for focused work
- Prioritized projects with clear objectives
- **Benefits:**
- Increased Speed
- Improved Quality
- Client Satisfaction
- Team Autonomy and Alignment
- Reduced Stress
---
## 3. Key Concepts from Shape Up
---
### **About Shape Up**
- **Authored by:** Ryan Singer from Basecamp
- **What It Deals With:**
- A methodology for product development and project management
- Addresses common challenges in software development
- **Main Takeaway:**
- Shape work before building to ensure clarity, focus, and successful execution
- **Read More:** [Shape Up Book](https://basecamp.com/shapeup)
---
### Shaping
- **Defining the Work Before Building**: Turning raw ideas into actionable projects
- **Key Components of Shaping:**
1. **Problem Statement**
2. **Solution Sketch**
3. **Appetite (Effort Estimate)**
4. **Risks and Challenges**
5. **No-Go Criteria**
- **Read More:** [Chapter 2: Principles of Shaping](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/1.1-chapter-02)
---
---
### **Emphasizing Appetite Over Estimates**
- **Setting Appetite**
- Deciding how much time to invest in solving the problem before defining scope
- **Focus on Value**
- Prioritize impactful features
- **Read More:** [Chapter 3: Set boundaries](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/1.2-chapter-03), [Chapter 6: Write the pitch](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/1.5-chapter-06#ingredient-2-appetite)
---
### **Fixed Time, Variable Scope**
- **Fixed Timeframe**
- Each cycle is 4 weeks
- **Adjustable Scope**
- Scope is refined to fit within the cycle
- **Big vs. small batches**
- **Read More:** [Chapter 3: Setting Boundaries](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/1.2-chapter-03)
---
### **The Betting Table Concept**
- **Decision-Making Forum**
- Projects are selected for the next cycle
- **Informed Choices**
- Based on well-shaped pitches and alignment with objectives
- **Read More:** [Chapter 8: Betting on the Cycle](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.2-chapter-08), [Chapter 9: Place your bets](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.3-chapter-09)
---
### **Progress: The Hill Chart**
- **Visual Progress Tracking**
- Uphill: Figuring things out
- Downhill: Execution
- **Focus on Unknowns and Risks**
- Identifying and addressing challenges early
- **Read More:** [Chapter 13: Tracking Progress](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/3.4-chapter-13)
---
### **The Circuit Breaker**
- **Time is limited**
- **If it is not finished by the end of cycle, it won't happen**
- **Read More:** [Chapter 8: The Betting Table](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.2-chapter-08#the-circuit-breaker), [Chapter 14: Decide When to Stop](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/3.5-chapter-14)
---
### **Cool-downs**
- **1-week cycles to breath and think about what is next**
- **You work on what you feel is right**
- **Read More:** [Chapter 8: The Betting Table](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.2-chapter-08)
---
### **Avoiding Backlogs**
- **Important Ideas Come Back**
- **No Endless To-Do Lists**
- Focus on what's important now
- **Fresh Prioritization Each Cycle**
- Reevaluate priorities based on current needs
- **Read More:** [Chapter 7: No Backlogs](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.1-chapter-07)
---
## 5. SHAPING AT FENCE
---
- **Cycles**
- 4-weeks cycles
- 1-week cooldowns
- **Teams:** 3 rotating teams
- 1 big batch
- 1 small batch
- 1 off-cycle: onboarding, urgencies, ...
- **Bugs**: dealt with in cooldowns
- **Urgencies**: do not stop the cycle -- dealt with by off-cycle team
---
- **Expectations from Shapers:**
- Research and listen to the team to choose problems to solve
- Collaborate with the team to define solutions
- Prepare project pitches each cycle
- **Support for Shapers:**
- Guidance on aligning pitches with objectives
- The team will give context and clarity for the pitches
- Team will support pitch creation
---
### **Shapers VOL.1**
- The expectation is for everyone to become a shaper
- We are starting with 3 shapers:
1. **Juan - Vision/Sales** - Focus on prospective clients' needs and sales opportunities
2. **Nacho - Customer Success** - Ensure efficient onboarding for new clients and improve the experience for existing clients
3. **Bander - Platform** - Develop internal infrastructure, tools, and automation
---
## Why Them
- **Increased Ownership**
- Clear responsibility for shaping projects
- **Expertise and Experience**
- They have close interaction with clients and deep understanding of needs
- **Alignment with Areas of Impact**
- Each focuses on key areas critical to our success
- **Team Collaboration**
- Will work closely with all of you to shape and execute projects
---
## What This Means for Everyone
- **Clarity and Focus**
- Clear objectives and priorities for each cycle
- **Collaborative Effort**
- Team members will contribute to executing shaped projects
- **Opportunities for Input**
- Your feedback and ideas are valuable in the shaping process
---
## 7. Aligning with Fence Values
---
- **Action even over Seeking Approval**
- Empowering everyone to take initiative
- **Impact even over Pace**
- Focusing on what truly matters to our clients
- **Top Talent even over Rapid Growth**
- Investing in your professional development
- **Integrity and Respect**
- Trusting your expertise and valuing your insights
---
## 8. Questions and Discussion
---
- **Your Thoughts Matter**
- Questions?
- Concerns?
- Suggestions?
- **Let's Collaborate**
- How can we make this work best for everyone?
---
## 9. Next Steps
---
- **Defining Company Objectives**
- Objectives will be set in the coming weeks
- **Creating the Fence Map**
- Where are we now in terms of product and functionality?
- **Starting the First 4-Week Cycle**
- **Cycle Begins:** December 1st, 2024
- **Initial Pitches Due:** November 28th, 2024
---
### MILESTONES
| Milestones | Who | When | Where |
|-------------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| Prepare pitches | Shapers | During cycle | Posted in Slack |
| Read pitches | Everyone | Before betting session | Asynchronous |
| Select projects | Gonzalo, Nacho, Juan | Wednesday of cool-down week | In-office, 1.0-1.5 hrs |
| Briefing teams | Everyone | Thursday of cool-down week, 45 mins | In-office or virtual |
| Post mortem | Everyone | Cool-down week | In-office, 1 hour |
---
# Let's Shape The Future of Debt Together!
---
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