Working Backwards by Colin Bryar & Bill Carr

Write the press release first, own the input metrics, and let mechanisms do the rest.

Three takeaways for AI PMs

• Write the press release before the spec
• Funnel, not tunnel
• One owner, one thing: Single-threaded leadership means one leader and team accountable for one outcome, with no competing day job.

Do this Monday

• Before opening the PRD template for your next AI feature, write the three money paragraphs and five FAQ questions in under an hour and send them to a sceptical engineer.
• In your next metrics review, split the dashboard into inputs you can move this sprint and outputs you can only watch, and ask whether any input is missing for the AI path.
• Before the next planning cycle, write one page on the idea you think should lose to your current top item, and bring both to the meeting.