Full proposal for the Shape wizard under Ideas > Effort Matrix, plus the handoff to Traction (Rocks) and the project board on Tariq's approval. Interactive prototype — nothing in the live app is modified.
Proposed changes to the Shape wizard
Step 5 renamed to "After launch" — post-launch work, not deferred features. Launch campaigns, email marketing, announcements, enablement. Today it reads as "pick the next idea to shape."
Step 3 becomes "Time and epics." Appetite + owned slices. Each epic is a parallel piece of work with a team lead (e.g. Ad Pilot for GA → Dean, Ad Pilot for Meta → Merlyn). Epics are an existing gala concept (jira-style), lighter than sub-projects. Flipping "Needs its own shape" triggers a child Shape task on that lead.
Reservations & concerns panel on every Shape (parent and child). Anyone with view access can flag a concern. Doesn't block submit. Status: Open / Addressed / Won't fix / Resolved — any of (raiser, shape owner, approver) can change it.
"Create project on approval" toggle on the parent Shape (default OFF). Addresses Nand's concern that not every Rock needs project-board execution. Metric goals, culture changes, exploration Rocks stay in Traction only. Execution Rocks (build/ship work) opt in and spawn a project with epics inside.
Workflow (full chain)
Tariq creates the quarterly Idea / Rock → assigns to a dept head (Jerome / Eyklin / Nand / Gabby / Pam) →
dept head starts the parent Shape (status flips to In progress) → splits into epics, assigns team leads
→ team leads fill out their own child Shape (for epics flagged "Needs shape") → dept head reviews and approves each child Shape
→ dept head submits the parent Shape to Tariq → Tariq approves, which always spawns a Rock, and conditionally spawns a Project (if the opt-in toggle is on):
Rock in Traction (always) — owned by dept head, Key Moves = one per approved epic. Tariq reviews quarterly rhythm here regardless of whether execution lives on the project board.
Project on the project board (opt-in) — owned by dept head, epics nested inside with tasks + assignees. Only created when the dept head flips the toggle on for execution Rocks.
When a project exists, Rock Key Moves are bound to epics: Dean marks his GA epic done → the "Ad Pilot for GA" Key Move ticks off automatically on Tariq's Rock. One source of truth, two views.
Locked design rules
• Child Shape counts as done only when dept lead approves it (not just submitted by team lead).
• Blocking happens at Finish and submit only — dept head can fill other steps while waiting.
• If dept lead rejects a child Shape, it goes back to team lead as Needs revision with a reason.
• Reservations don't block submit; they're visible to the approver when they review.
• Project opt-in is the dept head's call — metric/culture/exploration Rocks stay Rock-only; build/ship Rocks opt in.
• When a project is created it holds epics (jira-style, flat inside one project), not sub-projects (which are a heavier nested-project concept kept for escalation).
How to leave feedback on this prototype
• Click the floating "💬 Comment" button bottom-right — or press the button then click anywhere on the prototype.
• Pins drop at the exact spot you clicked. Enter to post, Shift+Enter for a newline, Esc to exit comment mode.
• Each pin has a status (Open / Addressed / Resolved / Won't fix) and a Delete option.
• Comments persist via Supabase in Gala's own project (isolated table prototype_reviews_comments, no touch to any gala table). Realtime: anyone with the URL sees new comments and status changes without refresh.
Overall workflow
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TariqCreates quarterly Idea / Rock request
→
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Dept headStarts parent Shape, splits into epics
→
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Team leadsEach shapes their own slice (child Shape)
→
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Tariq approvesSpawns Rock + Project pair
Back to the ideaSaves as you type
Shape this idea · Dept lead view
Build and launch internal and external ad pilot for SEO and Google / Meta Ads
Assigned by Tariq to Jerome Wilson (Head of Delivery) · Department rock, Q4 2026
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Waiting on child ShapesCan't submit this Shape to Tariq until all epic child Shapes are approved.
Reservations & concerns0 open
›
Anyone with access to this Shape can flag a concern. Reservations don't block submission — they're visible to the dept head and to Tariq when he reviews.
Shaping in progress · Last saved 2 minutes ago
Keep editing any step. Only the final Submit is held back until the child Shapes you assigned are approved by you.
1
Why
Filled in
2
Problem and plan
Filled in
3
Time and epics
Waiting on child Shapes
4
Risks
Filled in
5
After launch
Filled in
6
Review
Blocked
Step 3 of 6
Time and epics New
How much time are we willing to spend, and how does the work split across team leads?
Epics = parallel slices owned by a team lead (jira-style, existing gala concept).
Flip "Needs its own shape" to assign a child Shape task to the lead. Their Shape must be approved by you before this parent Shape can go to Tariq.
Epics
Epics take 7 of 8 weeks
Create project
Create a project on approval?
New
On: Tariq's approval spawns a Rock and a project on the project board (with your epics inside as jira-style groupings). Use for build/ship execution Rocks.
Off: Tariq's approval spawns only a Rock in Traction. Use for metric goals, culture changes, exploration, or any Rock where project-board ceremony is overkill.
Currently ON — a Rock and a Project will be created on approval.
Step 5 of 6
After launch Renamed
Optional. Once this project ships, what makes sure it actually lands? Email marketing campaigns, SMS announcements, team training, case-study asks. Gala creates these as follow-up tasks the day the project is finished.
After launch, what makes sure this lands?
+ AI SuggestTip
One thing per line. Launch campaigns, email marketing, announcements, enablement — anything that makes sure the thing actually gets used.
Who owns the follow-up?
What changed in this step
Before
Step title: "What's next"
Field: "What comes after this?" Helper: "The next idea to start when this one is done."
After
Step title: "After launch"
Field: "After launch, what makes sure this lands?" Helper: "Launch campaigns, email marketing, announcements, enablement."
✓
Tariq approved the parent ShapeA Rock always spawns in Traction. The Project on the board is opt-in via the Step 3 toggle (addresses Nand's concern).
⇄
Linked by design: each Rock Key Move is bound to its matching epic.
When Dean marks his GA epic done, the "Ad Pilot for GA" Key Move ticks off on Tariq's Rock automatically. Try the checkbox below.
RockTraction · Q4 2026 Rocks · owner: Jerome
Ad pilot: SEO and Google / Meta
Appetite: 8 weeks · Status: On track · Due: Dec 31, 2026
Key moves (milestones)0 of 3 done
ProjectProject board · Delivery · owner: Jerome
Ad pilot: SEO and Google / Meta
8 weeks · 3 epics · In progress
Epics0 of 3 done
What was carried over automatically
Problem statement, appetite (8 weeks), risks, done-when, and after-launch items were all copied from the parent Shape into both the Rock and the Project.
Each child Shape's own problem, scope, and appetite were carried into its matching epic.
After-launch items are scheduled as tasks that fire when the Project is marked Done — not before.
Child Shape (preview)
Parent rock: Build and launch internal and external ad pilot for SEO and Google / Meta Ads
What problem is this slice fixing?
What this slice will deliver
One thing per line. Must fit inside the parent appetite.
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Appetite for this slice
Reservations & concerns
0 open
Anyone with access can flag a concern. Bubbles to the dept head when they review.
Request revision
Epic
The team lead will get this Shape back with your comment. They re-submit, you re-review.
Reason
What needs to change before you'll approve this?
Comment mode on — click anywhere on the prototype to drop a comment. Press Esc to exit.