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37signals’ internal communication guide recommends using thoughtful, written, asynchronous discussion for substantial topics, while keeping real-time conversation available when it is useful. Its 30 principles and examples—from daily check-ins to project discussions—show how the company puts that approach into practice. They are guidance, not rules every team must adopt.
What the 37signals guide says about communication
Jason Fried’s guide opens with a practical question: “How do we keep everyone in the loop without everyone getting tangled in everyone else’s business?” Its answer is not to communicate constantly, but to make important communication clear, considered, and easy to find.
The guide favors asynchronous communication as the norm. For substantive discussions, it prefers complete writing over brief chat exchanges: people can read and respond when ready, ideas have time to develop, and colleagues who are absent—or join later—can follow the discussion. It also says meetings should be “the last resort, not the first option.” That is 37signals’ rationale and practice, not proof that the same approach works equally well for every organization.
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In the October 23, 2024 episode of REWORK, “Principles of Communication”, Fried said he assembled the guide in response to recurring questions about the company’s approach to meetings, long-form writing, and decision-making. The guide itself presents 30 principles alongside examples of routines and tools.
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Principles for keeping discussions useful
- Write down important discussions. Complete writing gives participants room to explain their thinking and gives others a record they can revisit.
- Allow time to read and respond. Unless there is a genuine emergency, avoid implying that a message requires an immediate reply.
- Ask for context and clarification. The guide puts it plainly: “If you want an answer, you have to ask a question.” Make it easy for colleagues to ask questions in return.
- Put the message where people expect to find it. Keep a discussion alongside the project, task, document, or policy it concerns, rather than scattering it across unrelated channels.
- Consider timing and pressure. A sender’s urgency can rush recipients, even when the topic is not urgent. Choose a useful time and make the actual deadline clear.
These ideas distinguish a communication principle from a specific tool choice. Keeping discussion with the relevant work can transfer across teams; using Basecamp comments to do it is 37signals’ implementation.
How 37signals describes its communication routines
The guide says that 98% of 37signals’ internal communication happens inside Basecamp. That is the company’s own figure; the guide does not state a year for it, and it should not be read as an independently audited or necessarily current measurement. The guide describes Basecamp as the home for company-wide discussion, project work, ideas, internal debates, automated check-ins, status and policy updates, decisions, and announcements.
It also describes email for external communication, occasional Zoom video conferences among two or three people, and discussions of some pull requests in GitHub. The guide page has no visible publication date, so the following schedules are best understood as the routines it describes, not as confirmation of 37signals’ current operations.
Daily and weekly check-ins
At 16:30 each workday, a Basecamp check-in asks, “What did you work on today?” Responses are shared company-wide, and follow-up questions remain in context. On Monday morning, another asks, “What will you be working on this week?” The guide says the weekly prompt is meant to reveal themes and priorities, not every task on each person’s list.
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Social questions, Heartbeats, and Kickoffs
Every few weeks or about monthly, the company poses an optional social question to help colleagues share interests and experiences. About every six weeks, a team lead writes a “Heartbeat” reflecting on the preceding period, including accomplishments and challenges. Around the same interval, a “Kickoff” outlines the team’s plans for the next period at a broad level.
Announcements and project discussions
Company-wide policy updates go on the HQ message board or are attached to an existing policy document, rather than being distributed only by email. Projects have their own Basecamp spaces, and discussions about a task or document sit with that item so readers can see the surrounding context.
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How to decide what to adapt for your team
The guide is most useful as a case study, not a package of rules to copy wholesale. Before choosing a channel or routine, consider these questions:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute- How urgent is it? A real emergency may call for a live interruption; a non-urgent decision usually gives people time to respond in writing.
- Does the topic need considered, complete thoughts? A complex proposal, decision, or debate may benefit from a written record more than a rapid chat exchange.
- Who needs to understand or revisit the discussion? If people outside the immediate conversation will need the context later, a durable written exchange can help.
- Does the conversation belong with particular work? Attach it to the task, document, or policy where future readers will look for it.
- What is the cost of real-time communication? Meetings and interruptions can impose scheduling and attention costs. Use them when their immediacy or interaction is valuable, not simply by default.
A team can borrow the ideas without adopting Basecamp, 37signals’ check-in cadence, or its meeting preference. For example, regular reflection prompts can be adapted to a team’s needs and schedule. The guide recommends Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters for readers seeking related context on how 37signals approaches software project work; it is not required to understand the communication principles.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the guide does—and does not—establish
The guide documents how 37signals says it communicates and why it favors considered writing for substantive discussion. Its 98% Basecamp figure is a company statement, not independent evidence that the approach causes better outcomes. The sources do not provide a separately reported effectiveness statistic or a dated study measuring the guide’s impact. Treat the routines as examples to evaluate against your team’s urgency, audience, and need for a lasting record.
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