(this workshop is available in english, german and spanish)
This workshop aims to fundamentally transform how teams approach product development, replacing feature bloat with customer value, and uncertainty with strategic confidence.
We’ll establish a framework that enables teams to work with greater autonomy and focus, making decisive progress toward solutions that customers actually need.
By deeply understanding customer situations and struggles, teams will learn to identify and deliver features that truly matter, rather than adding complexity that users don’t need.
Participants will develop the strategic thinking skills needed to shape work effectively before it begins, while building the confidence to make tough decisions about scope and priority.
You’ll learn to distinguish between essential features that solve real customer problems and nice-to-have additions that only create maintenance burden. Equipped with the tools to reduce waste in your development process, increase meaningful output, and create an environment where teams can do their best work.
The ultimate goal is to help you deliver better products more predictably, building features your customers actually need and use, while maintaining team energy and stakeholder trust throughout the development cycle.
Typical challenges
Product teams find themselves caught between two problematic realities.
Traditional waterfall methods have proven too rigid, producing detailed specifications that are outdated before development begins. Meanwhile, despite the sound principles of agile, many organizations have fallen into the trap of focusing on ceremonies over outcomes (daily standups become routine time sinks, story points turn into vanity metrics), and teams end up following prescriptive processes rather than embracing true agility.
The result is a complex web of challenges where projects stall, backlogs create decision paralysis, and teams get trapped in endless meetings and context switching.
Most critically, product teams struggle to identify which features actually solve customer problems, often building complex solutions that users neither want nor need.
Teams frequently lose momentum, struggling to maintain quality while racing against time constraints, leading to decreased morale, missed opportunities, and products that fail to serve their users effectively.
General ambition for this workshop
- How to turn raw ideas into well-scoped, buildable projects
- Avoiding common traps like scope creep and over-planning
- Structuring work so teams stay aligned and focused
- Practical frameworks to integrate shaping into your workflow
Modules (course outline)
Introduction
Product development has evolved from a linear manufacturing mindset to an iterative process where properly framing problems is as important as solving them. Before diving into the workshop we will explore how product development has transformed over the decades.
Well shaped concepts
You’ll be able to transform an initial product concept into a well-defined project scope that includes clear constraints, key technical and business risks, and enough flexibility for effective team execution.
You will learn to:
- Define the problem: Clarify what needs to be solved
- Set boundaries: Avoiding scope creep with clear constraints
- Outline the approach: Structure work for easier execution
- Address risks: Spot and resolve uncertainties early
From idea to actionable direction
The gap between initial ideas and successful execution is often filled with assumptions, unclear scope, and hidden risks.
This module focuses on the critical skill of framing: defining problems and opportunities in a way that sets the projects up for success.
You’ll learn how to:
- Identify and challenge core assumptions
- Define clear boundaries, constraints, and what success looks like
- Spotting and addressing key risks early
- Creating the right level of direction
- Setting project appetites and boundaries
Through practical exercises, you’ll practice turning vague ideas into focused problem statements, learning when to zoom in on details and when to maintain flexibility. We’ll also examine how proper framing helps teams stay aligned while maintaining the autonomy needed for effective problem-solving.
From direction to delivery
Moving from well-defined problems to actual solutions requires a systematic yet flexible approach.
This module introduces a practical framework for executing product development that balances structure with adaptability.
You’ll learn how to:
- Break down complex problems into manageable work streams
- Identify and sequence critical path elements
- Create effective feedback loops for learning and adjustment
- Manage scope without losing sight of core objectives
- Make progress visible and maintain momentum
Through hands-on exercises, you’ll practice applying this framework to real-world scenarios, including:
- Creating meaningful progress markers
- Making trade-off decisions that preserve core value
- Adjusting course based on new information without losing momentum
- Managing dependencies while maintaining team autonomy
Implementation strategy
This final module focuses on practical implementation, helping you move from understanding to actual adoption of these product development practices. We’ll explore three levels of integration; from lightweight adoption of specific tools and teams to full process transformation.
Final pointers
- Common pitfalls to avoid
- Keys to sustainable adoption
- Measuring success
- Building momentum
Who is it for
- Product Strategists
- Product/Program Managers and Product Owners
- UX/UI Designers
- Technical Team Leads
- Development Managers
- Decision-makers involved in digital product development
- Developers/Engineers
Deliverables
- Framework for strategic product development
- Framework for problem framing and solution shaping
- Project scoping toolkit
- Progress tracking methods
- Team communication playbook
- Post-workshop support documentation
- A hard copy of the Shape Up! book
Timeline
This course is available in-house and online.
Cost
The price of the course will be determined by your or your organization’s needs. To request a quote, please contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
I always offer discounts for people from underrepresented communities as well as group discounts.