Working Backwards
- 318 installs
- 43 repo stars
- Updated March 7, 2026
- pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management
working-backwards is a product-management agent skill that drafts an Amazon-style PR/FAQ from a customer-obsessed future press release for developers and PMs who must clarify product value before committing engineering r
About
working-backwards is a product-management skill from pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management implementing Amazon's Working Backwards methodology. Instead of starting from technology capability, it inverts product definition: identify the customer problem, describe the ideal outcome, then derive the build plan. The core artifact is an internal press release plus FAQ written before any implementation begins—if the press release is not compelling, the product is not ready. Developers and PMs invoke it when defining a new product or major feature, evaluating competing ideas, aligning stakeholders, or deciding whether an idea warrants engineering investment. Trigger phrases include working backwards, PR/FAQ, Amazon PR/FAQ, write a press release, define a new product, or write a customer-focused PRD. The skill is not intended for incremental A/B tests, bug fixes, or execution on already-defined products where the overhead exceeds the benefit.
- Future press release template
- FAQ for hard questions
- customer benefit first
- feasibility and risks section
- iteration checklist
Working Backwards by the numbers
- 318 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +12 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #860 of 3,282 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 318 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 43 |
| Last updated | March 7, 2026 |
| Repository | pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management ↗ |
How do you write an Amazon PR FAQ?
Draft a Working Backwards PR/FAQ from a customer-obsessed future press release to clarify customer benefit, feasibility, and launch narrative before specs proliferate.
Who is it for?
Product managers and tech leads scoping a new product or major feature who need stakeholder alignment before engineering commits resources.
Skip if: Incremental optimization work, bug fixes, or teams already executing a fully defined spec with no strategic ambiguity.
When should I use this skill?
A user asks for working backwards, PR/FAQ, Amazon PR/FAQ, a press release for a new product, or a customer-focused PRD.
What you get
Internal future press release, customer-focused FAQ, clarified customer problem statement, and feasibility-aligned launch narrative.
- Internal press release draft
- Customer-focused FAQ
- Product feasibility narrative
By the numbers
- Produces two core artifacts: an internal press release and FAQ
Files
Domain Context
This skill implements a proven product management framework. The approach combines best practices from industry leaders and is designed for practical application in day-to-day PM work.
Input Requirements
- Context about your product, feature, or problem
- Relevant data, research, or constraints (recommended but optional)
- Clear articulation of what you're trying to achieve
Working Backwards
What It Is
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."
When to Use It
Use Working Backwards when you need to:
- Define a new product or major feature before committing resources
- Evaluate competing product ideas and choose which to build
- Align stakeholders on what you're building and why
- Force clarity on vague product concepts
- Prevent building solutions in search of problems
- Create a shared vision that engineering, design, and leadership can rally around
- Decide whether an idea is worth pursuing at all
When Not to Use It
- The work is incremental optimization (A/B tests, bug fixes)
- You're executing on an already-defined product
- The scope is too small to warrant the overhead
Resources
Books:
- Working Backwards by Bill Carr and Colin Bryar
- The Everything Store by Brad Stone
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Use working-backwards over lean-canvas skills when the goal is a narrative press-release test of customer value rather than a nine-block business model canvas.
FAQ
What artifacts does working-backwards produce?
working-backwards produces an internal future press release and FAQ document written from the customer's perspective. These artifacts clarify customer benefit, feasibility, and launch narrative before engineering specs are written.
When should teams skip the working-backwards skill?
working-backwards is unnecessary for incremental A/B tests, bug fixes, or execution on products already fully defined. The skill targets new products, major features, or ideas needing stakeholder alignment before resource commitment.
What methodology does working-backwards implement?
working-backwards implements Amazon's Working Backwards process developed for customer-obsessed product definition. Teams start with the customer problem and ideal outcome, then work backward to the solution rather than forward from technology.