getting real TOC

Getting Real
Here are the 16 chapters and 91 essays that make up the book.

Introduction chapter 1

What is Getting Real?
A smaller, faster, better way to build software

About 37signals
Our small team creates simple, focused software

Caveats, disclaimers, and other preemptive strikes
Responses to some complaints we hear

The Starting Line chapter 2

Build Less
Underdo your competition

What's Your Problem?
Build software for yourself

Fund Yourself
Outside money is plan B

Fix Time and Budget, Flex Scope
Launch on time and on budget

Have an Enemy
Pick a fight

It Shouldn't be a Chore
Your passion — or lack of — will shine through

Stay Lean chapter 3

Less Mass
The leaner you are, the easier it is to change

Lower Your Cost of Change
Stay flexible by reducing obstacles to change

The Three Musketeers
Use a team of three for version 1.0

Embrace Constraints
Let limitations guide you to creative solutions

Be Yourself
Differentiate yourself from bigger companies by being personal and friendly

Priorities chapter 4

What's the big idea?
Explicitly define the one-point vision for your app

Ignore Details Early On
Work from large to small

It's a Problem When It's a Problem
Don't waste time on problems you don't have yet

Hire the Right Customers
Find the core market for your application and focus solely on them

Scale Later
You don't have a scaling problem yet

Make Opinionated Software
Your app should take sides

Feature Selection chapter 5

Half, Not Half-Assed
Build half a product, not a half-ass product

It Just Doesn't Matter
Essentials only

Start With No
Make features work hard to be implemented

Hidden Costs
Expose the price of new features

Can You Handle It?
Build something you can manage

Human Solutions
Build software for general concepts and encourage people to create their own solutions

Forget Feature Requests
Let your customers remind you what's important

Hold the Mayo
Ask people what they don't want

Process chapter 6

Race to Running Software
Get something real up and running quickly

Rinse and Repeat
Work in iterations

From Idea to Implementation
Go from brainstorm to sketches to HTML to coding

Avoid Preferences
Decide the little details so your customers don't have to

"Done!"
Decisions are temporary so make the call and move on

Test in the Wild
Test your app via real world usage

Shrink Your Time
Break it down

The Organization chapter 7

Unity
Don't split into silos

Alone Time
People need uninterrupted time to get things done

Meetings Are Toxic
Don't have meetings

Seek and Celebrate Small Victories
Release something today

Staffing chapter 8

Hire Less and Hire Later
Add slow to go fast

Kick the Tires
Work with prospective employees on a test-basis first

Actions, Not Words
Judge potential tech hires on open source contributions

Get Well Rounded Individuals
Go for quick learning generalists over ingrained specialists

You Can't Fake Enthusiasm
Go for happy and average over frustrated and great

Wordsmiths
Hire good writers

Interface Design chapter 9

Interface First
Design the interface before you start programming

Epicenter Design
Start from the core of the page and build outward

Three State Solution
Design for regular, blank, and error states

The Blank Slate
Set expectations with a thoughtful first-run experience

Get Defensive
Design for when things go wrong

Context Over Consistency
What makes sense here may not make sense there

Copywriting is Interface Design
Every letter matters

One Interface
Incorporate admin functions into the public interface

Code chapter 10

Less Software
Keep your code as simple as possible

Optimize for Happiness
Choose tools that keep your team excited and motivated

Code Speaks
Listen when your code pushes back

Manage Debt
Pay off your code and design "bills"

Open Doors
Get data out into the world via RSS, APIs, etc.

Words chapter 11

There's Nothing Functional about a Functional Spec
Don't write a functional specifications document

Don't Do Dead Documents
Eliminate unnecessary paperwork

Tell Me a Quick Story
Write stories, not details

Use Real Words
Insert actual text instead of lorem ipsum

Personify Your Product
What is your product's personality type?

Pricing and Signup chapter 12

Free Samples
Give something away for free

Easy On, Easy Off
Make signup and cancellation a painless process

Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for Kids
Avoid long-term contracts, sign-up fees, etc.

A Softer Bullet
Soften the blow of bad news with advance notice and grandfather clauses

Promotion chapter 13

Hollywood Launch
Go from teaser to preview to launch

A Powerful Promo Site
Build an ace promotional site that introduces people to your product

Ride the Blog Wave
Blogging can be more effective than advertising (and it's a hell of a lot cheaper)

Solicit Early
Get advance buzz and signups going ASAP

Promote Through Education
Share your knowledge with the world

Feature Food
They're hungry for it so serve it up

Track Your Logs
Study your logs to track buzz

Inline Upsell
Promote upgrade opportunities inside the app

Name Hook
Give your app a name that's easy to remember

Support chapter 14

Feel The Pain
Tear down the walls between support and development

Zero Training
Use inline help and FAQs so your product doesn't require a manual or training

Answer Quick
Quick turnaround time on support queries should be a top priority

Tough Love
Be willing to say no to your customers

In Fine Forum
Use forums or chat to let customers help each other

Publicize Your Screwups
Get bad news out there and out of the way

Post-Launch chapter 15

One Month Tuneup
Issue a major update 30 days after launch

Keep the Posts Coming
Show your product is alive by keeping an ongoing product development blog post-launch

Better, Not Beta
Don't use "beta" as a scapegoat

All Bugs Are Not Created Equal
Prioritize your bugs (and even ignore some of them)

Ride Out the Storm
Wait until knee-jerk reactions to changes die down before taking action

Keep Up With the Joneses
Subscribe to news feeds about your competitors

Beware the Bloat Monster
More mature doesn't have to mean more complicated

Go With the Flow
Be open to new paths and changes in direction

Conclusion chapter 16

Start Your Engines
A few closing thoughts

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