00 Front matter
One-sentence definition, two entry points, what's inside.
· Home
· One-sentence definition · two entry points · what's inside
Foreword — Why we wrote this
· The frustration that started it · why a method, not a tool · how to argue with this
How to read this
The audience tags · leadership path · practitioner path · single source of truth
Part I Why Scaleflow
The problem, the case, and the thinking — the three pillars and the customer-backwards mindset. Read this if you need to be convinced, or to understand the why underneath everything else.
01 The problem we keep seeing
02 Product waste (80/20) · stop throwing bananas · methods invented decades ago · proxies instead of reality · agile-overhead trap
What Scaleflow is
03 One sentence, three pillars · for uncertain environments · multidisciplinary, continuous learning, weekly demos · software-independent · what it is not
The three pillars
04 #REALITY · #LEARNING · #CONTEXT · how they show up day-to-day
Working backwards from the customer
05 The "work backwards" move · validate before the go-ahead · continuous validation
Where it came from
From a lab idea to a coaching practice · WhatNow → Scaleflow · what we learned the hard way
Part II The Big Picture
Orientation. The map that shows how artifacts, roles, and rituals fit together before any detail.
06 The shape of the method
07 The canonical workflow · how artifacts, roles & rituals fit · a reader's map
Roles, not titles
08 The Team · the Initiative Author · the Initiative Owner · the Product Board · people flow between roles
The weekly rhythm at a glance
One visual of the week · weeks don't start on Monday · cross-team rituals on top
Part III The Artifacts
Where context lives. The documents the rituals revolve around. Each page ends in a fill-in template.
09 The Initiative Document
10 PR/FAQ shape · Customer · Solution · Plan & Team · Business Case · Success Metrics · template
The Approach (and Tracks)
11 Plan backwards · tracks · Weekly Goals · keeping it current · template
The Check-in (the artifact)
Questions/FYI · Lessons Learned · TFO · Unknowns · Waiting for Answer · template
Part IV The Rituals
The operating rhythm. Every ritual page uses the same shape, so they're easy to compare and reference.
12 How to read a ritual page
13 The standard template · rituals as forcing functions, not ceremonies
Daily Check-in
14 Purpose · Cadence · Attendees · Format · Outputs · Common pitfalls
Collab Time
15 Purpose · Cadence · Attendees · Format · Outputs · Common pitfalls
Week Planning
16 Purpose · Cadence · Attendees · Format · Outputs · the 75% capacity rule
Dry Run (optional)
17 Purpose · Cadence · Attendees · Format · Outputs · the only optional ritual
Board Meeting
18 Purpose · Cadence · Attendees · Format · Outputs · the 50/50 split
The Product Demo (the artifact)
19 Live-or-concluded only · Problem · Solution · Data · per discipline
Cross-team rituals (bi-weekly)
20 Product Management Meeting · Delivery & Data Meeting
The Product Meetup (optional)
What it is · how it differs from the Demo · five-minute slots, actuals only
Part V Planning & Rhythm Over Time
How the weekly rhythm connects to quarters and years. Practitioners for the model; leaders for the long horizon.
21 The planning model
22 Approach → Tracks → Weekly Goals · the 75% rule · losing the narrative
Metrics & success criteria
23 Enough signal to steer · metrics in the Initiative Document · vague metrics anti-pattern
The quarterly & yearly rhythm
The Balanced Roadmap · Big-Bang management moments · aligning long horizon with weekly
Part VI Practising It
Start it yourself. The action layer — low-stakes on-ramps, self-assessment, and the questions everyone asks.
24 Where to start (the on-ramp)
25 Replace the stand-up · replace the demo · rewrite one epic · run five meetups · what melts away
Adjust to your size & context
26 Small teams · multiple initiatives · distributed & cross-timezone teams
Anti-patterns
27 The eight ways teams break the method · the common root
Assess your team
28 The quality scorecards · how to self-assess honestly · reading the results
FAQ
Writing overhead? · need a board? · vs. Scrum? · non-Mon–Fri weeks? · need the software?
Part VII Tactics
Practical tools and techniques for the challenges you hit while doing Scaleflow. Close to the method, but not the core — guidelines for solving specific problems.
29 The Uncertainty List
30 Why estimates hide uncertainty · sizing 1/3/5 · If/Then & Will/When · how the list is used · template
Principles, Trade-offs & Rules
No compression algorithm for experience · principles · trade-offs · rules · worked examples
★ Reference
· Glossary
· Every term in one place — the shared vocabulary
Templates index
· Every fill-in template, linked from one page
Comparisons
· How to read these · a real alternative vs a different plane · what we'd also compare
Scaleflow vs Scrum
· Same job, same plane · what Scrum got right · reality over proxies · when to prefer which
Scaleflow vs Shape Up
· The modern method we admire · appetite & shaping · single team vs scaling up · borrow freely
Scaleflow vs Waterfall
· A real alternative, for a different kind of work · the knowable-scope bet · phase-complete vs a demo
Scaleflow vs SAFe
· Scaling across many teams · scale by process vs scale by context · the pointed contrast
Scaleflow vs Kanban
· Not a rival · a flow technique you run inside Scaleflow · what each layer does
Scaleflow vs the Agile Manifesto
· Values, not a method · the four values mapped · the twelve principles · the honest tension
Scaleflow vs OKRs
· Not a rival · goal-setting that maps onto the Initiative Document's business case · how they stack
Scaleflow vs Lean Startup & Continuous Discovery
· Shared DNA · validated learning · discovery + delivery · Scaleflow gives it a weekly rhythm
Scaleflow vs the Spotify model
· Org design, not an operating method · autonomy & alignment · Scaleflow is the rhythm inside the squad
Scaleflow vs no method
· The honest baseline · what ad-hoc gets right · when context starts leaking · replace overhead, don't add it
Further reading & sources
The blog · Sparkboxx notes · the method decks