amazon-working-backwards

Guide ideas through Amazon's Working Backwards process, from 5 Questions to PR-FAQ. Supports six entry points: drafting 5Q answers from a rough idea, refining existing answers, verifying answers with probing questions, generating a PR-FAQ document, reviewing an existing PR-FAQ, or clarifying any process element The 5 Questions phase forces clarity on customer, problem, benefit, validation, and experience before any document writing The PR-FAQ phase transforms solid 5Q answers into a press release and dual FAQ (external customer questions, internal stakeholder questions) All substantive content writes directly to timestamped markdown files; feedback and iteration happen in chat

INSTALLATION
npx skills add https://github.com/robdefeo/agent-skills --skill amazon-working-backwards
Run in your project or agent environment. Adjust flags if your CLI version differs.

SKILL.md

$2c

  • 5Q answers: Write to YYYY-MM-DD - [Product Name] 5Q.md
  • PR-FAQ: Write to YYYY-MM-DD - [Product Name] PR-FAQ.md
  • Iterations: Edit the file in place; summarize changes in chat
  • Word format: If the user requests .docx, use the docx skill to produce a formatted document

When asking clarifying questions or presenting feedback, respond in chat. All substantive content (5Q answers, PR-FAQ drafts) goes to file.

5 Questions Phase

The 5 Questions force clarity before any document writing begins:

  • Who is the customer?
  • What is the customer problem or opportunity?
  • What is the most important customer benefit?
  • How do we know what the customer needs or wants?
  • What does the customer experience look like?

Drafting 5Q Answers

  • Ask clarifying questions if the user's idea is too vague to answer any question well — ask one question at a time
  • Draft all 5 answers, following the "What a strong answer looks like" guidance for each
  • Write answers to the 5Q file; summarize in chat and ask for feedback; iterate by editing the file

Verifying 5Q Answers

When reviewing or verifying answers (user's own or previously drafted):

  • Apply the verification checklist (coherence, specificity, customer obsession, intellectual honesty)
  • Use the probing questions from the guide to challenge weak areas
  • Present specific, actionable feedback — not generic praise

PR-FAQ Phase

Once 5Q answers are solid, generate the PR-FAQ document.

  • Write the Press Release section, mapping: Q2 → problem paragraph, Q3 → solution paragraph, Q5 → experience paragraph, Q1 → customer quote persona
  • Write External FAQ (5-10 customer questions)
  • Write Internal FAQ (5-10 stakeholder questions)
  • Write to the PR-FAQ file; summarize in chat and ask for feedback; iterate by editing the file

Reviewing an Existing PR-FAQ

  • Evaluate each section of the PR-FAQ against the writing standards
  • Check that the PR-FAQ is internally consistent (problem → benefit → experience alignment)
  • Provide specific, section-by-section feedback with concrete suggestions for improvement
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