Working Backwards¶

VisionSpec implements Amazon's Working Backwards methodology as the foundation for specification development. This document explains the approach, why it matters for AI-assisted execution, and how to apply it effectively.

What is Working Backwards?¶

Working Backwards is a product development methodology pioneered at Amazon. Instead of starting with requirements and hoping they lead to a good customer experience, you start with the end state and work backwards:

Write the Press Release first - Describe the product as if it's already shipped
Challenge it with FAQs - Ask hard questions about scope, feasibility, and gaps
Derive requirements - Only then write detailed requirements grounded in the vision

This inversion ensures that every requirement traces back to a specific customer outcome.

The VisionSpec Flow¶

MRD (human-authored)
    │
    │  "What market problem are we solving?"
    ↓
Press Release (synthesized from MRD)
    │
    │  "How will we announce this to customers?"
    ↓
FAQ (synthesized from MRD + Press)
    │
    │  "What questions will stakeholders ask?"
    ↓
PRD (synthesized from MRD + Press + FAQ)
    │
    │  "What detailed requirements follow from this vision?"
    ↓
Narrative 1P/6P (synthesized, for stakeholder review)
    │
    │  "Does leadership align on this vision?"
    ↓
UXD (human-authored)
    │
    │  "How will users interact with this?"
    ↓
TRD (synthesized from MRD + PRD + UXD + context)
    │
    │  "How will we build this technically?"
    ↓
IRD (synthesized from TRD + context)
    │
    │  "How will we deploy and operate this?"
    ↓
spec.md (reconciled from all approved specs)
    │
    │  "What should the AI agent execute?"
    ↓
AI-Assisted Execution

Why This Matters for AI Execution¶

When an AI coding agent executes from specifications, it benefits from:

1. Vision Anchoring¶

The Press Release creates an unambiguous target state. When the agent encounters conflicting requirements or ambiguous instructions, it can ask: "Which interpretation better serves the announced customer experience?"

2. Early Gap Detection¶

The FAQ forces explicit consideration of edge cases, scope boundaries, and potential objections. Questions like "What happens when..." are answered before implementation, not discovered mid-coding.

3. Testable Requirements¶

PRD derived from Press + FAQ tends to produce concrete, testable requirements rather than abstract feature lists. "Users can export reports in PDF format" is more actionable than "the system should support exports."

4. Traceability Chain¶

Every technical decision can trace back through the chain:

IRD decision → TRD requirement → PRD feature → FAQ clarification → Press vision → MRD problem

This enables principled conflict resolution during reconciliation.

Synthesized Documents in Git¶

All synthesized documents (Press, FAQ, PRD, TRD, IRD, Narratives) are committed to git and can be:

Reviewed by stakeholders before approval
Edited by humans to add nuance or correct errors
Refined collaboratively with AI assistants like Claude Code
Versioned alongside the codebase

The initial synthesis provides a strong starting point, but human judgment remains in the loop at every stage.

Where Narratives Fit¶

The 1-page and 6-page narratives serve as stakeholder alignment documents:

Document	Purpose	When to Use
1-Page Narrative	Executive summary for quick alignment	Leadership reviews, status updates
6-Page Narrative	Deep-dive for thorough review	Team meetings, architecture reviews

Synthesize narratives after PRD but before starting technical work:

# Generate narratives for review
visionspec synthesize narrative-1p
visionspec synthesize narrative-6p

# Share with stakeholders, gather feedback
# Edit narratives as needed based on feedback

# Then proceed to technical synthesis
visionspec synthesize trd

Human vs. Synthesized Documents¶

Document	Default Source	Can Be Synthesized?	Typical Workflow
MRD	Human-authored	No	Product/business owner writes
Press	Synthesized	Yes	Synthesize, review, refine
FAQ	Synthesized	Yes	Synthesize, add questions
PRD	Either	Yes	Synthesize or human-author
UXD	Human-authored	No	Designer creates
Narrative	Synthesized	Yes	Synthesize for review
TRD	Synthesized	Yes	Synthesize, architect reviews
IRD	Synthesized	Yes	Synthesize, SRE reviews

Recommended Workflow¶

For New Projects¶

# 1. Initialize project
visionspec init my-feature

# 2. Write MRD (human-authored)
# Define market problem, audience, business goals

# 3. Synthesize Working Backwards chain
visionspec synthesize press    # Vision document
visionspec synthesize faq      # Challenge assumptions
visionspec synthesize prd      # Detailed requirements

# 4. Generate narratives for stakeholder review
visionspec synthesize narrative-1p
visionspec synthesize narrative-6p

# 5. Review and refine all documents
# Edit in git, collaborate with AI, gather feedback

# 6. Write UXD (human-authored)
# Define user journeys and interactions

# 7. Synthesize technical specs
visionspec synthesize trd --eval
visionspec synthesize ird --eval

# 8. Approve all specs
visionspec approve mrd
visionspec approve prd
# ... approve all

# 9. Reconcile into execution spec
visionspec reconcile

# 10. Export to target system
visionspec export speckit

For Existing PRDs¶

If you already have a human-authored PRD, you can still use Working Backwards for validation:

# Synthesize Press from existing MRD + PRD
visionspec synthesize press

# Generate FAQ to challenge the PRD
visionspec synthesize faq

# Compare FAQ questions with PRD coverage
# Update PRD to address gaps

Configuration by Profile¶

Different organizational stages need different levels of ceremony:

Profile	Working Backwards Documents
`0-1`	Just hypothesis (no full flow)
`startup`	PRD only (minimal ceremony)
`growth`	PRD, FAQ (validate scope)
`enterprise`	Full flow (MRD → Press → FAQ → PRD → Narratives → TRD → IRD)

# Initialize with appropriate profile
visionspec init my-feature --profile growth

References¶

The Working Backwards methodology was developed at Amazon and is documented in:

Bryar, Colin and Bill Carr. Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon. St. Martin's Press, 2021.

The definitive guide by two former Amazon executives (Bryar was Jeff Bezos's "shadow" for two years; Carr launched Amazon Music and Prime Video). Covers the PR/FAQ process, single-threaded leadership, and other Amazon mechanisms.

AWS Blog. Working Backwards to Drive Customer Experience and SMB Innovation Forward

Practical application of Working Backwards for small and medium businesses.

Amazon Jobs. Working Backwards

Amazon's official overview of the methodology.