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Use when asked to "working backwards", "PR/FAQ", "Amazon PR/FAQ", "write a press release", "define a new product", or "write a customer-focused PRD"...
Working Backwards is Amazon's product development methodology. The core insight: start with the customer problem and work backward to the solution, not the other way around.
Most teams work forward: "We have this technology/capability/idea — what can we build with it?" Working Backwards inverts this: "What problem does the customer have? What would the ideal solution look like? Now, how do we build it?"
The mechanism: Write an internal press release and FAQ before building anything. If you can't write a compelling press release, you don't have a compelling product.
As Jeff Bezos put it: "We took it as an article of faith — if we served customers well, if we prioritized customers and delivered for them, things like sales, revenue, and free cash flow would follow."
Use Working Backwards when you need to:
Detailed examples showing how to apply Working Backwards correctly. Each pattern shows a common mistake and the correct approach.
| Pattern | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| solution-first-thinking | Don't start with the solution and retrofit a problem |
| missing-problem-paragraph | If you skip the problem, there probably isn't one |
| vague-customer-definition | "Everyone" is not a customer — be specific |
| writing-pr-after-building | The PR comes first, not as documentation after |
| internal-jargon-in-pr | Press releases are for customers, not engineers |
| Pattern | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| faq-avoids-hard-questions | The FAQ must address what makes you uncomfortable |
| hyperbole-instead-of-specifics | No marketing fluff — use data and concrete claims |
| customer-quote-sounds-fake | Customer quotes reveal whether you understand the job |
| too-many-features | One press release, one compelling benefit |
| no-measurable-outcome | Define what success looks like with numbers |
| combining-ideas | One PR/FAQ per idea — don't bundle concepts |
| Pattern | What It Teaches |
|---|---|
| skipping-the-iteration | PR/FAQs improve through concentric circle review |
| missing-the-date | The hypothetical launch date signals ambition and scope |
| faq-too-short | External and internal FAQs serve different purposes |
Read only when you need extra detail.
references/working-backwards-playbook.md: Expanded framework detail, checklists, and examples.Books:
Templates:
Podcasts:
Other:
Credit: The Working Backwards process was developed at Amazon, primarily during 2004-2007. Key contributors include Jeff Bezos, Bill Carr, Colin Bryar, Jeff Wilke, and many others. This skill synthesizes insights from Bill Carr and Ian McAllister's interviews on Lenny's Podcast.
