The Amazon backward method with Cycle change-log
In the product ecosystem, innovation is often driven by methodologies that challenge the status quo. One such methodology that has revolutionized how products are conceived and built is Amazon's Backward Method. At Cycle, we are dogfooding this approach and make sure to make our change log ready to increase user engagement.
What is the Amazon backward method?
Amazon’s backward method starts with the end in mind. Instead of focusing initially on features and functionalities, this method begins by imagining the final product as if it has already been launched. The process involves:
- Writing a press release: Craft a detailed press release as if the product is being announced today. This includes the product’s purpose, features, customer benefits, and how it stands out from the competition.
- Drafting FAQs: Develop comprehensive FAQs to address potential customer questions, concerns, and use cases.
- Creating user manuals: Outline user manuals or guides that explain how to use the product effectively.
How PM can own the press releases?
At Cycle, you can write your press releases directly in the built-in change log. It aligns with the principles of the backward method, ensuring our development process is transparent and user-centric. Here’s how we do it:
- Starting with the end goal: Each entry in our change log starts with a clear description of the user benefit and the problem it solves, mirroring the press release concept.
- User-centric updates: Our change-log entries are written with the customer in mind, ensuring that every update is communicated in a way that highlights its value and impact.
- Continuous feedback loop: By openly sharing our progress and updates, we invite users to provide feedback, which helps us refine and improve the product continuously.
Let’s dig…
Remember about my Ice Cream business? Let me show you the methods with this business: `Sweet Cold Delight`
Let’s start by creating a release
- Navigate to you Settings > Releases → Then create a new release
- Click on the small icon to go into the release edition view
- Add features (new or existing) that your planning to ship for that release
- Make sure you draft the end goal, the value that your audience want to see on your press release.
- Click on the “Open doc“ button on the top right of the screen to land on the document itself
- You are now on the doc, the feature in my case, where I can start drafting the PRD, here in the example, I’m highlighting the customer quote and work with Linear project where I will keep track of the progress. Since I’ll see the status automatically sync in Cycle.
From there you can start collaborate with your team in the way you’d like to ship the feature, when is done, just publish your release your change-log.
here is the result:
https://changelog.cycle.app/sweet-cold-delight/
Enjoy, this is a free product, if you want the access, just let me know!