shapeuppitching

name	shapeupPitching
description	Use when: writing, reviewing, or refining Shape Up pitches for drafting, completeness critique, or betting table preparation.
type	reference
version	1.0
license	MIT

Shape Up — Pitching

Skill metadata: version "1.0"; tags [shapeup, pitching, product-management]; recommended tools [].

Shape Up pitches are the unit of work proposed for a betting table. A pitch answers five questions before any cycle time is committed.

When to use

• Drafting, reviewing, or refining a Shape Up pitch
• Preparing a pitch for the betting table

When NOT to use

• When the betting table is already in progress — prefer shapeupBetting
• When managing active in-cycle work — prefer shapeupCycleWork

The Five Elements

Element	What it covers
Problem	The raw customer pain or business friction — not a solution in disguise.
Appetite	How much time the team is willing to spend: S (1-2 weeks), M (4 weeks), or L (6 weeks).
Solution	A concrete enough sketch to convey the approach — fat-marker sketch, breadboard, or short prose. Enough to bet on, not a full spec.
Rabbit holes	Specific technical or design traps that would blow the appetite if unaddressed.
No-gos	Explicit things the solution will not do — used to define the boundary of the bet.

Writing Discipline

• Lead with the problem. A pitch that opens with a solution hides the real value question.
• Set the appetite before designing. Appetite frames the solution, not the other way around.
• Rabbit holes are written as risks, not tasks. "The date-picker widget is a known rabbit hole — we will use a plain text input instead."
• No-gos are commitments, not wish-lists. State them plainly so the team can say "yes, we agree not to do that."
• Fat-marker sketches belong in the pitch if they convey the approach faster than prose. Detailed wireframes do not belong — they pre-answer decisions that should be left to the team.

Pitch Review Checklist

Before presenting to the betting table, confirm:

• Problem is stated as a problem, not a solution
• Appetite is explicit and justified
• Solution sketch is present and clear enough to estimate feasibility
• At least one rabbit hole is named (if none exist, state why)
• At least one no-go is named (if none exist, scope is likely unbounded)
• Pitch is self-contained — a reader with no prior context can understand the bet

Comment Prefixes

Use these prefixes when giving pitch feedback:

• problem: — the problem statement is unclear, hidden, or a solution in disguise
• appetite: — the appetite is missing, unjustified, or inconsistent with scope
• scope: — the solution exceeds the stated appetite or introduces unbounded work
• rabbit-hole: — a likely rabbit hole is unaddressed
• no-go: — scope boundary is unclear or missing
• nit: — minor wording or formatting issue

Verify

• All five elements present: Problem, Appetite, Solution, Rabbit holes, No-gos
• No solution disguised as a problem statement
• Appetite stated as S (1–2 weeks), M (4 weeks), or L (6 weeks)