Working Backwards
The innovation mechanism we are asked for most. Teams start from the customer, agree on the problem in writing, and find out what an idea is worth before anyone builds it.
Why it works
Ask a great company who their customer is and you will get several different answers around the same table. The questions surface that disagreement in the first hour, while it is still cheap. Everything after that, the written document, the readout, the experiments, exists to keep the customer in the room once the building starts.
Working Backwards is one of several methods in our innovation practice, and the one clients name most often when they call.
How we run it
- PRFAQ workshop: one to two days. A real press release and FAQ for a real initiative, written and torn apart in the room.
- Innovation sprint: a week, working an opportunity from customer problem to a testable concept.
- Multi-month program: the mechanism embedded so your teams run it without us.
- Facilitator enablement: training your own people to run it, which is the point.
The method in full: the five questions · the PRFAQ
Selected work
Friends
A full Working Backwards program, from framing to PRFAQ readout
Read the case studyAT&TAmazon's innovation method for a product management guild
Read the case studyFrom these engagements
Amir has significantly helped us structure and focus our development initiatives through the Working Backwards methodology. He quickly understood our organization’s values and priorities, demonstrated great attentiveness, and expertly guided the process forward.
Maja FrankelSecretary General, FriendsAmir has a unique ability to create safe, creative spaces where ideas can flourish. He is an exceptional facilitator — actively listening, summarizing, and skillfully navigating complex discussions.
Magnus LoftssonLicensed Psychologist & Research Manager, FriendsCommon questions
- What is the Working Backwards method?
- Working Backwards is Amazon's mechanism for deciding what to build. The team writes the press release and FAQ for the finished product first, then works backward from the customer it describes, which surfaces early whether the idea is worth building at all.
- What is a PRFAQ?
- A PRFAQ is a one-page press release plus a list of frequently asked questions, written as though the product had already launched. It is the core artifact of the Working Backwards method: if the press release is not exciting to read, the idea is not worth building.
- Who facilitates the workshops?
- Amir Elion, who led the AWS Nordics innovation program for three years and ran Working Backwards engagements with enterprise customers across the region before founding Think Big Leaders.