NAIS system

NAIS system is the name of the process we use to develop NAIS.

The process is a naisified version of Shape Up from 37signals, and has been used since the beginning of 2024.

All of our planned work lives as Pull Requests in nais/system. That repository is the source of truth for what we're doing, what we've shaped, and what we've finished. This handbook describes the concepts; the system repo describes the mechanics.

A brief overview

We work in periods. A period is eight weeks: six weeks of focus, followed by a two week cooldown. During the focus weeks we split into smaller groups – usually 2-3 people – working on one or more initiatives. The cooldown is for resetting, re-orienting, and shaping what comes next.

Larger, cross-period goals are expressed as ambitions. Initiatives contribute to ambitions over time.

We also have holiday modes in the summer and around Christmas.

Why do we organize our work this way?

• We value focus and deep work. Period-based work facilitates that.
• Expressing work as initiatives forces clarity. Everyone can follow along and weigh in. A merged initiative, together with its discussion, serves as an ADR.
• When you're on an initiative, you don't start the day wondering what to do. You know the work matters, and why.
• There's a healthy commitment to the rest of the team: during the period, you try to focus and do your best work.
• We achieve shared orientation despite being a large team.