ship-a-product

name	ship-a-product
description	Use when founder instincts are needed for a software product: defining the MVP, choosing priorities, rejecting feature bloat, shaping the UX, planning launch, and keeping the product focused after release.
version	1.0.0
user-invocable	true
compatibility	Works with agents that support Agent Skills style repositories. Unofficial conversion generated with book-to-skill and then hand-tuned for product routing, MVP planning, and decision support.
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"🚢"},"hermes":{"tags":["product","startup","mvp","feature-prioritization","ux","launch"],"category":"productivity"}}
allowed-tools	["Read","Grep"]
argument-hint	["product problem","MVP question","feature decision","chapter number","or part name"]

Ship a Product

Book Source: Getting Real by Basecamp What it helps build: lean software products, MVPs, web apps, and focused startup products Best for: founders, indie hackers, product designers, developers, and small teams shipping software Decision coverage: scope, priorities, MVP, feature selection, interface design, pricing, launch, support, post-launch Status: Unofficial derivative skill, not affiliated with Basecamp Structure: 16 part files + full chapter map Generated: 2026-07-04

Mission

This skill is not a generic summary of the book. Its job is to help an AI agent make better product decisions and route attention to the right part of the book fast.

Use this skill when the agent is dealing with:

• MVP planning
• product scope creep
• unclear priorities
• feature prioritization
• feature bloat
• shipping too slowly
• messy interface decisions
• code/process/org drift
• startup product strategy
• launch, promotion, pricing, support, or post-launch discipline

Routing First

Before answering, classify the user's problem into one of these buckets:

1. Framing the product -> chapters/p02-starting-line.md
2. Staying small and adaptable -> chapters/p03-stay-lean.md
3. Choosing what matters now -> chapters/p04-priorities.md
4. Choosing or rejecting features -> chapters/p05-feature-selection.md
5. How to execute and ship -> chapters/p06-process.md
6. Team structure and communication -> chapters/p07-organization.md
7. Hiring and staffing -> chapters/p08-staffing.md
8. Interface and UX decisions -> chapters/p09-interface-design.md
9. Codebase and engineering tradeoffs -> chapters/p10-code.md
10. Specs, copy, and product language -> chapters/p11-words.md
11. Pricing, signup, and conversion -> chapters/p12-pricing-signup.md
12. Launch and promotion -> chapters/p13-promotion.md
13. Support and customer handling -> chapters/p14-support.md
14. Post-launch cleanup and growth -> chapters/p15-post-launch.md

If the problem is about the book itself, author intent, or the general philosophy, start with:

• chapters/p01-introduction.md
• chapters/p16-conclusion.md

Fast Triage Heuristics

Use these heuristics before giving advice:

• If the team wants "just one more feature," load p05-feature-selection.md.
• If the roadmap is bloated, load p02-starting-line.md and p03-stay-lean.md.
• If the product feels vague, load p04-priorities.md.
• If execution is stuck in planning, load p06-process.md.
• If UX is being debated abstractly, load p09-interface-design.md.
• If engineers are overbuilding, load p10-code.md.
• If docs/specs are expanding faster than product truth, load p11-words.md.
• If acquisition/conversion is the question, load p12-pricing-signup.md or p13-promotion.md.
• If churn, complaints, or trust issues show up after launch, load p14-support.md and p15-post-launch.md.

Decisions This Skill Is Good At

• What should the MVP include right now?
• Which features should be cut, deferred, or simplified?
• What problem is the product actually solving?
• Who is the product really for?
• What should the onboarding or interface prioritize?
• Should this be solved with software or a human workaround?
• What should the team launch first?
• How should the product stay lean after launch?

How To Answer

1. Name the problem in plain English.
2. Route to the narrowest relevant part file.
3. Pull the chapter-level ideas from that file.
4. Give a concrete recommendation in the book's voice: smaller, sharper, more opinionated, more real.
5. If needed, mention the exact chapter titles that back the recommendation.

Do not flatten the book into soft, generic startup advice. The book is sharp on purpose.

Core Operating Principles

• Build less than you think you need.
• Treat constraints as a design advantage.
• Fix time and budget; flex scope.
• Solve the core problem before polishing edges.
• Say no by default; force features to justify themselves.
• Replace documents and debate with working software.
• Design from the interface inward.
• Keep teams small, communication direct, and meetings rare.
• Write clearly because product words are product behavior.
• Launch earlier than is emotionally comfortable, then iterate in public.

Part Index

• p01 Introduction - What Getting Real is, when it applies, and how to use the philosophy.
• p02 The Starting Line - Scope, funding, constraints, conviction, and picking a meaningful problem.
• p03 Stay Lean - Smallness, adaptability, and keeping the cost of change low.
• p04 Priorities - Big ideas, sequencing, customer selection, scaling later, and building opinionated software.
• p05 Feature Selection - How to reject, trim, and simplify features before they rot the product.
• p06 Process - Move from idea to running software quickly and iteratively.
• p07 The Organization - Team shape, solitude, and avoiding meetings.
• p08 Staffing - Hiring late, hiring carefully, and preferring rounded people.
• p09 Interface Design - Start with the UI, design around the epicenter, and defend clarity.
• p10 Code - Less software, happier developers, clearer code, and controlled debt.
• p11 Words - Replace dead specs with stories, real words, and a human product voice.
• p12 Pricing and Signup - Sampling, low-friction signup, and honest conversion mechanics.
• p13 Promotion - Launch energy, promo pages, education, and lightweight growth loops.
• p14 Support - Fast, humane support without hiding from pain.
• p15 Post-Launch - Tuneups, bug triage, restraint, and sustainable improvement.
• p16 Conclusion - Final push to stop planning forever and start moving.

Topic Index

• big idea / product thesis -> p04-priorities.md
• build less / scope discipline -> p02-starting-line.md, p05-feature-selection.md
• constraints -> p03-stay-lean.md
• copywriting / interface words -> p09-interface-design.md, p11-words.md
• customers / who to build for -> p04-priorities.md
• feature requests -> p05-feature-selection.md
• funding / bootstrap -> p02-starting-line.md
• hiring -> p08-staffing.md
• interface / ux -> p09-interface-design.md
• launch -> p13-promotion.md
• meetings -> p07-organization.md
• pricing / signup -> p12-pricing-signup.md
• process / shipping cadence -> p06-process.md
• scaling -> p04-priorities.md
• support -> p14-support.md
• technical debt / code -> p10-code.md
• testing in the wild -> p06-process.md
• writing / specs / docs -> p11-words.md

Supporting Files

• chapter-map.md - full list of all 91 chapters under their parts
• glossary.md - key terms and phrases from the book
• patterns.md - reusable tactics and decision patterns
• cheatsheet.md - one-page decision rules

Scope And Limits

This skill captures the book's product philosophy, not every modern technical concern. It is strongest for product focus, scope control, UX clarity, shipping rhythm, and sane small-team execution.