How MoveLab works: building better software with the Shape Up method

At MoveLab, building software for connected fitness means more than writing code. Our partners rely on us to deliver reliable features, launch new capabilities, and evolve their digital platforms quickly. To make that possible, we organize our product development around a framework called Shape Up.

This method helps our team stay focused, move faster, and deliver meaningful improvements without getting lost in endless planning or micromanagement.

Working in focused cycles

Instead of managing work through long backlogs or endless task lists, we organize our development into seven-week cycles.

Each cycle has:

• Six weeks of focused building

• One week to cool down, reflect, and prepare the next cycle

Six weeks is long enough to build something meaningful from start to finish, but short enough that the deadline stays visible from day one. This creates a natural sense of focus and urgency across the team. Also, rather than measuring productivity through hours worked or daily tasks completed, we focus on one key question:

Will this project meaningfully move the product forward within six weeks?

This allows the team to focus on outcomes instead of activity.

Shaping the work before building it

Before a project enters a cycle, it goes through a process called shaping.

Each developer is responsible to define the outline of a solution. The goal isn’t to fully design every detail, but to clarify the core idea and set clear boundaries.

Projects are defined at the right level of abstraction:

• Concrete enough that teams understand the goal

• Flexible enough that engineers and designers can solve the interesting problems themselves

Instead of estimating how long something will take, we define an appetite. In other words, we decide how much time we are willing to spend on an idea and shape the solution to fit within that constraint.

This approach prevents projects from expanding endlessly and ensures we invest our time where it matters most.

Betting on the right projects

Once projects are shaped, they are presented as pitches. Each pitch outlines the problem, the proposed solution, and the scope that fits within a cycle.

During the betting stage, we decide which projects deserve the team’s focus for the next six weeks. This step balances product vision, customer needs, and business priorities.

At MoveLab, we track this process internally using Notion, where each pitch follows a structured template. Once a project is selected, we define the core scope and create a hill chart to track progress through the cycle.

Giving teams full ownership

When a project starts, a small integrated team takes full responsibility for building it.

Instead of managers assigning individual tasks, the team decides:

• How to break down the work

• How to track progress

• How to collaborate on design and development

Engineers and designers work together to build the product in vertical slices, delivering complete pieces of functionality step by step.

This autonomy allows the people closest to the work, the ones with the deepest technical knowledge, to make the decisions that move the project forward.

A better way to ship software

This way of working creates a powerful cycle.

When teams have autonomy, they can move faster and make better decisions. When managers spend less time micromanaging, they can focus on shaping stronger projects. And when projects are clearly defined, teams can deliver results with greater confidence.

The result is a more efficient development process and better outcomes for the products we build.

What this means for our partners

For our partners and customers, this approach has several benefits:

• Faster delivery of meaningful features

• Clear development cycles with predictable progress

• A focused team working on the most impactful improvements

• Better collaboration between design and engineering

Most importantly, it means that when we commit to building something, the entire team is focused on delivering it within the cycle.

By structuring our work around Shape Up, we ensure that MoveLab continues to build reliable, scalable software that helps fitness companies launch and grow their digital experiences.