develop-like-37signalslisted

# Develop like 37signals > Profiled as of 2026-07-16 · consent tier: self-published · full bibliography in [references/sources.md](references/sources.md). Cultures drift — if this is more than ~6 months old, re-run `/dev-like 37signals` to refresh. ## Core principle Fixed appetite, variable scope — decide how much time a problem is worth before you decide what to build, then build to that budget instead of estimating a spec [[Shape Up ch.1]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/0.3-chapter-01). Work happens in six-week cycles with a two-week cooldown between them, and all teams share the same cadence [[how we work]](https://github.com/basecamp/handbook/blob/master/how-we-work.md). ## Principles 1. Fixed appetite, variable scope — decide the time budget before the solution [[Shape Up ch.1]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/0.3-chapter-01) 2. Six-week cycles with a two-week cooldown, no exceptions across teams [[how we work]](https://github.com/basecamp/handbook/blob/master/how-we-work.md) 3. No backlogs — shape and bet, don't queue [[Shape Up ch.8]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.2-chapter-08) 4. Hand over whole projects, not task lists; done means deployed [[Shape Up ch.10]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/3.1-chapter-10) 5. Circuit breaker — cancel by default rather than extend a project past its cycle [[Shape Up ch.8]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup/2.2-chapter-08) 6. Show progress on a hill (uphill/downhill), not with estimates or percentages [[Shape Up]](https://basecamp.com/shapeup)