Even Keel

Foreword by Priya Raman

Notes of thanks

Chapter 1

The Big Idea

• Scaling pains
• Fixed-time runs
• Framing the work
• Making teams accountable
• Spotting risk
• How this guide is arranged

Chapter 2

Principles of Framing

• Detailed mockups box you in
• Words are too slippery
• Case study: The Milestone Board
• Property 1: Stay rough
• Property 2: It's worked
• Property 3: It's limited
• Who frames
• Two lanes
• Steps to framing

Chapter 3

Set the Limits

• Setting the time box
• Fixed time, flexible scope
• "Good" is contextual
• Handling incoming ideas
• Focus in on the problem
• Case study: Defining "milestone"
• Avoid catch-all buckets
• Set the limits early

Chapter 4

Name the core parts

• Work at a steady pace
• Rough layouts
• Broad-stroke sketches
• Parts are the deliverable
• Space for designers
• Not finished work yet
• No assembly line

Chapter 5

Risks and Blind Spots

• The kinds of risk to watch
• Spot the hidden traps
• Case study: Closing a gap
• Mark it off-limits
• Trim down
• Review with the engineers
• Cleared and ready to draft

Chapter 6

Shape the Pitch

• Piece 1. The Problem
• Piece 2. The Appetite
• Piece 3. The Solution
• Show, don't tell
• Inline sketches
• Labeled broad-stroke sketches
• Piece 4. The Dead Ends
• Piece 5. The No-Gos
• Examples
• Ready to share out
• How we run it at Klaravo

Chapter 7

Picks, Not Backlogs

• No wishlists
• A few possible picks
• Distributed lists
• The best ideas return

Chapter 8

The Decision Table

• Six-week rounds
• Wind-down
• Team and project scope
• The planning board
• The shape of a plan
• Protected focus time
• The hard deadline
• What about fixes?
• Keep the deck clear

Chapter 9

Commit the Plan

• Know where you stand
• Ongoing products
• Fresh products
• Idea mode
• Delivery mode
• Polish mode
• Patterns
• Signals to check
• Does this problem hurt?
• Is the appetite fair?
• Is the approach convincing?
• Is this the right week?
• Are the right people ready now?
• Post the launch message

Chapter 10

Hand Over the Ownership

• Assign outcomes, not steps
• Done means shipped
• Finding your feet
• Planned vs discovered work

Chapter 11

Get One Slice Done

• Connect one slice
• Case study: Guests on a project
• Engineers don’t need to wait
• Rough controls before polished screens
• Build just enough for the next move
• Begin in the middle

Chapter 12

Map the Slices

• Organize by structure, not by owner
• The slice map
• The vocabulary of the work
• Case study: Draft reminders
• Discovering slices
• How to tell if the slices are right
• Stacked work
• Riptides
• Tangles
• Flag optional items with ~

Chapter 13

Reveal Status

• The work you can't see yet
• Guesses hide the true unknowns
• Work follows a curve
• Pieces on the slope
• Answers without asking
• No one is quietly stuck
• Signals to reshape the work
• Work your way upward
• Solve the hard parts first

Chapter 14

Know When to Ship

• Measure against plan
• Limits force smart choices
• Scope creeps like weeds
• Trimming scope isn't cutting quality
• Scope trimming
• QA lives at the edges
• When to give more time

Chapter 15

Wrap Up

• Let the dust settle
• Avoid new debt
• Feedback needs framing first

Conclusion

• Core concepts
• Contact us

How to Put the Method to Work in Klaravo

• A Klaravo Team for planning
• Klaravo Projects for cycle work
• To-Do Lists for pieces
• Track pieces on the Slope Chart

Fit It to Your Team

• Broad truths vs. specific habits
• Small enough to improvise
• Large enough to specialize

How to Start Planning

• Option A: A single six-week trial
• Option B: Begin with planning
• Option C: Ease into cadence
• Fix delivery first
• Focus on the real outcome

Glossary

About the Author