Amazon’s Culture of Innovation & The Working Backwards session Working Backwards; leading organisations achieve growth by marrying customer-obsession with a modern technology strategy. Where do you begin? By focusing on the customer. During this webinar, Amazon will discuss key innovation principles which have been instrumental in their continued success and their Working Backwards approach.

1. Innovation at Amazon
Innovation with Amazon
Digital Innovation Program Overview
Business objectives

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Innovation at Amazon

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Where innovation begins
start with the Customer
and Work Backwards

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1994 Founded
1995 Amazon.com
1998 CDs & DVDs
2006 AWS
2007 Kindle
2011 Video
2012 Groceries
2014 Alexa/Echo
2015 Bookstores
2017 Go

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“There are many advantages to a customer-
centric approach, but here’s the big one:
Customers are always beautifully, wonderfully
dissatisfied, even when they report being happy
and business is great. Even when they don’t yet
know it, customers want something better, and
your desire to delight customers will drive you to
invent on their behalf.”
- Jeff Bezos, 2016 letter to shareholders

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Creating the right environment for Innovation
Mechanisms:
Encoded behaviors that turn ideas into
meaningful innovations Working
Backwards methodology, PR-FAQs, and
detailed Narratives
Organization:
We decentralize authority to single-
threaded owners leading small,
empowered ‘two pizza’ teams that own
what they create
Architecture:
Empower innovators through self-service
tools; utilize AWS cloud platform to build
quickly, scale fast and minimize costs of
failure
Culture:
Hire builders & manage against our 14
Leadership Principles, Think Big &
invest early and accept failure as a
critical part of the innovation process

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A mechanism is a complete process….
Working Backwards
1
2 3
4
5

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5 Working Backwards Questions

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Working Backwards
Mechanism
Customer
Press
Release
FAQ
Visuals
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Innovation begins with the
Customer, then work
backwards

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We revise, and
make the idea better
with each iteration

11. “Done correctly, the Working Backwards process is a
huge amount of work. But, it saves you even more
work later. The Working Backwards Process is not
designed to be easy, it’s designed to save huge
amounts of work on the backend, and to make sure
we’re actually building the right thing.
”Jeffrey P. Bezos
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Amazon.com, Inc.

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The Working Backwards
is a Mechanism
that enables Everyone
to Innovate in
the Authenthic Amazon
way

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Innovation with Amazon
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Interested in Amazon’s approach to Innovation?
EXPLORE Culture of innovation
at Amazon and Identify the Busienss
Challenge
DEFINE a new product, service,
or experience that will delight your
customers; start with the customer
and work backwards
BUILD a prototype in the
cloud to bring your new digital
offering to life; test it with your
customers
1 2 3
Let’s partner to invent something your customers will love, fast
AWS Digital Innovation Program

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Bias for
Action
Deliver
Results
Learn &
Be Curious
Customer
Obsession
Working
Backwards
Articulate customer
Innovation via
PR/FAQ/Visuals
Working
Backwards
Session
Innovation at
Amazon
EXECUTIVE REVIEW EXECUTIVE REVIEWEXECUTIVE REVIEWTODAY
Think Big
Identify end-
customer & end-
customer need /
opportunity
PR/FAQ review
Visuals
Deliver innovation at
scale with AWS
Digital Innovation Program
1-3 days 5-30 days3-5 hrs
~ 2 months~ 1 month

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Define- Amazon Innovation Workshop
1 or 2 Days Working Backwards Workshop
with 7-10 attendees
GOAL:
1. Define a new digital product vision using Amazon´s Working
Backwards
2. Draft a Press Release (PRFAQ) format
3. Draft Business Model
Problem or opportunity
Press Release
Diverge
Converge
Location: Amazon office in Europe (e.g Milan. Berlin, Paris or Madrid)
Typical attendees: Business leaders/ stakeholders such as CMO, COO, CDO, Head of
Innovation/ Product Design / Digital Strategy, Business Development Managers, Digital
Project / Marketing Managers & and Customer Service Managers ( 70% Business 30 % IT)
Duration: 1 day (Required: commitment & preparations)

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Breakfast Introduction to the Day 8:00 – 8:30
Re-frame problem/opportunity 8:30 – 9:00
Recap of Explore Session 9:00 – 10:00
Start with the customer 10:00 – 10:30
Break 10:30 – 10:45
Think Big / What if? 10:45 – 11:15
Generate ideas / Crazy 8s 11:15 – 12:00
Lunch 12:00 – 12:30
Ideation (diverge) / Voting (converge) 12:30 – 1:30
Identify most important customer benefit 1:30 – 2:00
Break 2:00 – 2:15
Outline PR-FAQ 2:15 – 3:15
Plan prototype phase 3:15 – 4:00
Reflection, summary, and next steps 4:00 – 4:30
PROBLEM OR
OPPORTUNIT
Y
PR
(outline)
Work backwards
Focus on
customer
Digital Innovation Workshop (sample agenda)

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Focus
on the
customer
Work
backwards
Press
Release
Outline
Amazon
Innovation
Workshop
Final PR/FAQ
How would a
disrupter approach
this problem?
How does this raise
the bar for our
customers?
Circulate for
feedback &
signoff
TODAY +14 DAYS 1+ MONTH
Note: Timeline based on timely edits, feedback, committed resources – from both customer and AWS
Problem /
opportunity
Rapid prototyping
Iterating beyond the workshop

19. Public Statements

20. How to make a Program Successful
Customer
1. Executive sponsorship
C-level business leader LoB head, and senior IT leaders
2. Specific Business Challenge identified
problem or opportunity identified
3. Commitment to Engage
in AWS Digital Innovation Program
engagement (1-3months)
3. Good Faith in AWS
as the platform of choice for prototype and scaled
implementation
4. Public Reference
at the end of the Workshop
Amazon
1.Innovation mechanisms & experience
Guided use of Amazon innovation methods and approach
2. Plan, drive, & facilitate innovation engagement
going from a specific problem/ opportunity to a new digital solution(s)
3. Prototype capability & support
to build and deploy breakthrough solutions (1-5 weeks after a refined
PRFAQ is complete) Via internal resources and Partners

21. Let’s Start
Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History

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Thank You
AMAZON CONFIDENTIAL