For the Amazon narrative to work, you need two additional elements
Amazon’s 6-page narrative is hot in the news again. It is one of the many stories the authors of the book Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon tell while promoting their book on the various podcasts, or in newspaper or blog articles.
I’ve been a fan of the narrative for years, even just for my own process. By writing out the idea, I create better ideas. My process starts with an outline, a bulleted list, or a slide or two. As I collect data or craft a chart, I add additional slides. However, those slides or the bulleted list aren’t the end goal. They are the equivalent of a storyboard in the movie business. As I tell the story I realize I miss some data, or that there is a hole in the thought process. Eventually, I will write out the narrative, while I have the storyboard on the side. The narrative almost writes itself by then.
Also, Netflix has a big Memo-culture. A lot of important work starts in prose.
Yet, while the memo or the narrative provide 80 or 90% of the system, there are two important elements to make the system really work:
- The pre-read: share the document sufficiently in advance, so people can prepare and ponder the proposal. The idea that we all read in silence the narrative during the first 20 minutes of the meeting only works for some. However, most often it can result in a shoot-from-the-hip commentary. It also doesn’t allow participants to consult others prior to the meeting.
- The rebuttal: avoid fly-by comments. After reading the narrative, ensure folks write down their viewpoint in a similar narrative manner. It will clarify where the major conflicts or disagreements are with the narrative. This will set you up for a more focused meeting.