Working Backwards!

I'd like to share my thoughts on the Turkish translation of "Working Backwards." first. I read the translated version, but unfortunately, I don't recommend it, especially for the technical parts. The translation falls short in conveying the intricacies, prompting me to switch to my Kindle for the English sections.

This book found its place in the 'Getting Stuff Done' section of my Product Management Library. If you're curious, here's the link to my library.

I rate the book 9/10 because I genuinely enjoyed delving into the workings of a company whose products I use almost daily.

If you have specific points or insights you'd like to discuss or elaborate on, feel free to provide more details. I'm here to help or engage in any discussions you may have regarding my key takeaways from the book.

My key takeaways:

Amazon's Culture: Forget about obsessing over competitors; at Amazon, it's all about being crazy for customers. With a broader investment horizon and a commitment to long-term thinking, the e-commerce giant takes pride in its operational excellence. They are not afraid to embrace failure, as it often goes hand in hand with their fervor for innovation.

Product Development at Amazon: The secret sauce in Amazon's product development is working backward from the desired customer experience. The 'Press Release/FAQ' process reinforces customer obsession by starting with customer needs and working backward from there. Unlike many companies that focus on their own benefits during the project's preparation, Amazon ensures that the customer's benefit takes center stage.

FAQs cover external questions, such as technical, legal, and financial queries from internal teams, or questions from external customers and the press.

Microservices Architecture and Two-Pizza Teams: Amazon's rapid and innovative progress owes much to the adoption of microservices architecture and the concept of 'two-pizza teams,' which has evolved into Single Threaded Leadership (STLs). These small teams proved effective in innovation but weren't as successful in legal and HR areas.

Decision-Making Wisdom: In the Amazon way, decisions are made with around 70% of the needed information. Waiting for 90% can be a heavy burden. Identifying and rectifying bad decisions swiftly is crucial. If you're good at course correction, mistakes might be less costly than you think; otherwise, you're in for a pricey ride.

Meetings the Amazon Way: No more PowerPoint and Excel extravaganzas at Amazon meetings. A concise 6-page Word document is the new norm. This way, the presenter's charisma or shyness doesn't overshadow the core ideas. Everyone reads the document carefully before the meeting, ensuring an efficient discussion without unanswered questions or derailing the presentation.

Andon Cord Principle: Jeff Bezos brings from Toyota the Andon Cord Principle. If customer service repeatedly receives similar complaints about a product, they get the power to hit the 'Red Button.' This disables the 'buy' button, preventing users from purchasing the problematic product, while the responsible team manager quickly addresses the issue.

Digital Shift and Customer Obsession: In the midst of the digital shift, Amazon's obsession with the customer experience remains unwavering. They tackled the challenge by focusing on what the best customer experience would be, leading them to enter the digital content market, notably with the Kindle.

Content Creation Evolution: From physical product accumulation to digital content, Amazon transitioned strategically. While excelling in physical goods, Apple and rivals led in digital accumulation. Amazon chose books, enhancing the book printing invention, the Kindle, with e-ink and whispernet.

Amazon's Mantra: Customer Obsession and Highest Standards! Rather than asking customers, "Fast and expensive or slow and free?" Amazon moves according to the customer's preference for "fast and free." Prime's emergence made fast and free shipping a reality.

Guiding Principles: In the tug of war between speed and quality, Amazon always gives priority to quality. If a choice arises between creating something suitable for customers and something suitable for Amazon, the customer's preference wins.

Insistence in Decision-Making: Persist until the decision is made, but once it's made, commit yourself to ensure its success.

Subscription Success: Drawing paying members requires offering fantastic perks, and to do that, you need a large number of paying members.

Learning from Failures: The shift from the Unbox disaster to the Prime triumph exemplifies Amazon's learning-from-failure principle. Dialogues with failing executives emphasize understanding mistakes, documenting them, and sharing the insights to prevent repetitions.

Failing at a project doesn't necessarily lead to dismissal if efforts align with Amazon's principles and applications.