How to Use Notion for Software Development

Show Notes

Parker Rex walks through using Notion to run software development with Shape Up methodology—six weeks of net-new work, time-boxed bets, and a clear, auditable pitch-to-production flow. Get to a simple, company-wide process that reduces wasted effort and keeps everyone aligned.

Core idea: Shape Up + Notion for clarity and speed

• Start with the problem, not the solution.
• Write one-page pitches (pitches) as research papers about the problem.
• Use a time box (appetite) to constrain scope and avoid endless estimation.
• Build cycles in six weeks, followed by a cool-down period for bugs and refactors.
• Use Notion as a non-technical, universal source of truth for pitches, plans, and rollout docs.

Pitch workflow: from problem to plan

• Problem space first: articulate the motivation and the real problem you’re solving.
• Appetite (time box): decide how much time you’ll commit (e.g., 7 days, 2 weeks) before you start shaping.
• Solution in paragraphs: outline the approach, not a checklist of tasks.
• Boundaries (out of bounds) and rabbit holes: call out paths to avoid and known risks.
• Success criteria: include measurable (and some “squishy”) outcomes you can track.
• Pitch complete: ready for PM shaping and leadership review.

Example pitch elements (template)

Pitch Template
- Problem: [Describe the problem space and motivation]
- Appetite: [Timebox the effort, e.g., 7 days]
- Solution (paragraphs): [High-level approach and design ideas]
- Rabbit holes / out of bounds: [Paths to avoid; known risks]
- Success criteria: [Metrics or qualitative indicators]
- Risks / blockers: [Obstacles that could halt progress]
- Stakeholders / announcement plan: [Who needs to know and when]

Build cycle and cadence

• Six weeks of net-new work to ship meaningful progress.
• Two-week cool-down period for bug fixes, refactors, or lower-priority work.
• Weekly syncs (short, 15 minutes max) to surface blockers, updates, and next steps.
• P0 blockers: only critical issues that block revenue or core progress get immediate attention.
• Leadership and PM play a coordinating role; floating engineers can help unblock as needed.

Board and statuses in Notion

• Bucketed by product areas or app sections (e.g., general, calendar, notes, payments, etc.).
• Statuses include: idea, need shaping, ready for engineering, in progress, completed, rolled out.
• Visibility across the company: pitches are shared, pitched, and tracked through the cycle to keep everyone in the loop.
• When a pitch is kicked off: announce to the company and tag the key contributors.

Roles and communication

• PM is the shaping lead: coordinates the pitch, time box, and transition to build.
• Leadership aligns on priorities and approves pitches for the cycle.
• Floating engineer: a flexible resource to help with blockers or spikes.
• Rollout owner: coordinates with sales, marketing, and support for docs, FAQs, and demos.

Design, docs, and knowledge sharing

• Design tracker: capture revisions, inspiration, and iterations; keep assets in one place.
• Documentation for future onboarding: create lightweight, repeatable explainers for what you did and why.
• Engineering wiki approach: when you do something once, document it so future hires can ramp quickly.

Practical tips and pitfalls

• Use Notion as the primary, non-technical hub. Avoid forcing non-technical teams into specialized tools.
• Capture “how we did this” notes in Notion so future engineers can reproduce or audit.
• Keep meetings lean: weekly syncs are short and action-item driven; avoid unnecessary meetings.
• Track launches: collect and review metrics post-launch to validate impact.

Quick-start templates and examples

• Create a running set of pitches with problem, appetite, solution, and success criteria.
• Maintain a simple rollout doc per launch that covers FAQs, assets, and timelines.
• Use a design tracker for any UI/UX work with revision history and collections of inspirations.

Takeaways (actionable)

• Write pitches for real problems, not features.
• Time box every pitch; don’t estimate upfront—let scope follow the appetite.
• Run six-week build cycles with a predictable cadence: plan, build, test, deploy, roll out.
• Keep a weekly 15-minute sync and a weekly retrospective to surface blockers and improvements.
• Put rollout docs and cross-team communications in Notion so everyone is aligned.

Links

• Shape Up by Basecamp (book and method overview)
• Notion templates and boards for Shape Up workflows

If this was helpful, check out the template link below and consider adopting a simple Shape Up Notion setup to test with your team.