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AWS Working Backwards

Amazon's Working Backwards methodology starts with the customer and works backward to the solution. It emphasizes writing as thinking, with the PR/FAQ and 6-Pager as core artifacts.

Profile Variants

VisionSpec provides two AWS profiles for different scopes:

Profile Starting Document Best For
aws-product MRD New product lines, major initiatives
aws-feature OpportunitySpec Features on existing products

For feature-level opportunities, see OpportunitySpec Framework.

The Flow

AWS Product Flow (MRD Start)

AWS Product Flow

AWS Feature Flow (OpportunitySpec Start)

AWS Feature Flow

Key Principles

  1. Customer Obsession: Start with the customer and work backwards
  2. Write First: Document the vision before building
  3. PR/FAQ: Write the press release announcing the product's launch
  4. Challenge Assumptions: Use FAQ to surface gaps and concerns
  5. Narrative-Driven: Use 6-pagers for decision-making

VisionSpec Mapping

AWS Artifact VisionSpec Type Purpose
Business Case MRD Market opportunity and customer problem
Press Release Press Vision document announcing the solution
FAQ FAQ Challenges claims, surfaces gaps
PRFAQ Combined PRD Product requirements derived from narrative
6-Pager Narrative Executive decision document
Design Doc TRD Technical architecture
Test Plan TPD Test cases, automation, quality gates
Ops Review IRD Infrastructure and operations

Using the aws-product Profile

Initialize a Project

multispec init my-product --profile aws-product

Create the MRD (Business Case)

multispec draft mrd -p my-product

Synthesize Working Backwards Documents

# Generate Press Release from MRD
multispec synthesize press -p my-product

# Generate FAQ from MRD + Press
multispec synthesize faq -p my-product

# Generate PRD from Working Backwards artifacts
multispec synthesize prd -p my-product

# Generate technical specs
multispec synthesize trd -p my-product
multispec synthesize tpd -p my-product  # Test plan
multispec synthesize ird -p my-product  # Infrastructure

# Generate 6-Pager Narrative
multispec synthesize narrative-6p -p my-product

Evaluate Documents

# Evaluate Press Release against Leadership Principles
multispec eval press -p my-product

# Check readiness
multispec status -p my-product

Templates

Press Release Template

The Press Release template includes:

  • Headline: One sentence capturing customer benefit
  • Subheadline: Target customer and key value
  • Problem: Customer pain point
  • Solution: How the product solves it
  • Quote (Spokesperson): Internal vision
  • Customer Journey: How to get started
  • Quote (Customer): External validation
  • Call to Action: Next steps

FAQ Template

The FAQ template covers:

  • Customer Questions: What customers will ask
  • Internal Questions: Stakeholder concerns
  • Technical Questions: Implementation challenges
  • Business Questions: Market and financial viability

6-Pager Template

The 6-Pager template follows Amazon's structure:

  • Introduction and context
  • Goals and tenets
  • State of the business
  • Lessons learned
  • Strategic priorities
  • Appendix with data

Rubric Categories

The AWS profiles evaluate documents on:

Category Weight Description
Working Backwards Fidelity 20% Starts with customer, not technology
Customer Clarity 20% Specific customer segment and problem
Decision Reversibility 15% Two-way vs one-way door decisions
Bias for Action 15% Speed of execution considered
Long-Term Thinking 15% Sustainable competitive advantage
Frugality 10% Resource efficiency
Deep Dive 5% Data-driven analysis

Example Workflow (aws-product)

# 1. Initialize project
multispec init checkout-redesign --profile aws-product

# 2. Draft MRD with business case
multispec draft mrd -p checkout-redesign
# ... collaborate on MRD ...
multispec finalize mrd -p checkout-redesign

# 3. Synthesize Press Release
multispec synthesize press -p checkout-redesign
multispec eval press -p checkout-redesign
multispec approve press -p checkout-redesign

# 4. Synthesize FAQ
multispec synthesize faq -p checkout-redesign
multispec eval faq -p checkout-redesign
multispec approve faq -p checkout-redesign

# 5. Synthesize PRD from Working Backwards artifacts
multispec synthesize prd -p checkout-redesign
multispec eval prd -p checkout-redesign

# 6. Human authors UXD
multispec draft uxd -p checkout-redesign

# 7. Synthesize TRD
multispec synthesize trd -p checkout-redesign

# 8. Generate 6-Pager for executive review
multispec synthesize narrative-6p -p checkout-redesign

# 9. Check status
multispec status -p checkout-redesign

Reference Materials

For deeper understanding of AWS Working Backwards methodology, see:

See Also