How We Manage Product Design

At Volt, we use a customized version of the Shape Up methodology (shoutout to the Basecamp team) to ensure we’re focusing on the features and improvements that matter most, combined with simple workflows in Canny and Asana. Below is a quick rundown on how we shape our projects, decide on releases, and manage day-to-day tasks.

The Shape Up Approach

Shape Up encourages defining the work before starting any coding. We do this through a “Pitch,” which includes:

1. Problem — The raw idea, a use case, or something we’ve seen that motivates us to work on this
2. Appetite — How much time we want to spend and how that constrains the solution
3. Solution — The core elements we came up with, presented in a form that’s easy for people to immediately understand
4. Rabbit holes — Details about the solution worth calling out to avoid problems
5. No-gos — Directions to avoid or tasks out of scope.

By clarifying these points upfront, we avoid distractions and keep our goals more clear.

Choosing Our Releases

We track and collect big ideas in Canny. Feedback from customers and our own team funnels into one place, making it easier to spot priorities. Once we pick which ideas to tackle for an upcoming cycle, we define a clear release scope with a concise objective. This helps us maintain alignment on what we’re trying to deliver and why.

Turning Ideas into Tasks

After we “shape” an idea, we switch over to Asana to break the work down into actionable tasks. Yes, we know Basecamp created Shape Up—but we’ve been Asana users for years and it just fits our flow better. (We still love you, Basecamp, but we’re sticking with Asana for now! 😅)

Here’s how we handle tasks in Asana:

1. Create Task Lists – We break down the scope into individual items.

2. Assign Owners – Every task has a clear person responsible.

3. Monitor Progress – We track status updates so everyone knows where things stand.

4. Communicate Blockers – If anything is stuck, we discuss it directly in Asana to keep things moving.

Why This Works For Us

By combining Shape Up’s “big-picture first” philosophy with a well-structured backlog in Canny that is open to our users, and streamlined task management in Asana, we stay focused on the real problems to solve—and avoid drifting off into unproductive rabbit holes.

We hope this helps you think about how to shape, choose, and ship meaningful work in your own teams!

Want to see it in action? Check out our this video to get the inside scoop on our workflow at Volt:

What’s Next at Volt?

As Volt evolves, we’ll continue refining and adding features that make WhatsApp messaging smoother, smarter, and more productive. Want to join the Beta? Get your spot on the waitlist here.