# Build and ship v1

Build the first release in short cycles, keep a release checklist, review against the cut line and put it in front of a small group.

Canonical URL: https://worldenterprise.org/playbooks/build-and-ship-v1/
Last updated: 2026-10-10
Publisher: World Enterprise, run by World Enterprise Group Incorporated

## The steps

1. **Set a weekly rhythm.** Choose one goal for the week, write it where the whole team can see it, and review it at the end. A fixed rhythm makes slipping visible early, which is when it is cheapest to fix.
2. **Build the riskiest path first.** Build a thin working slice from the start of the path to the first result before you widen anything. If the hardest part does not work, you learn it in week one rather than week ten.
3. **Keep a release checklist from the first week.** List what must be true before anyone outside the team uses the product, including data protection basics, accessibility, backups and a way to see errors. Add to the list every time something surprises you.
4. **Review against the cut line every week.** Compare what was built with the written cut line. When scope changes, write down what changed, why, and what moved below the line to make room.
5. **Release to a small group you can talk to.** Start with a few people you know by name, so you can watch what they do and ask what they expected. Widen the group only when the first group can reach the result without help.
6. **Write down what broke and what you learned.** Keep a short release note and an ordered backlog that records the evidence behind each item. The next cycle starts from that backlog, not from memory.

## What you will have at the end

- A working first release
- A release checklist
- Weekly review notes that show scope changes
- A short release note
- A backlog ordered by evidence