Looking back on the first few programs I’ve executed at Amazon, one of the critical pieces is communicating and collaborating with the right stakeholders. Picking up programs mid-way, I can’t count how many new stakeholders come out of the woodwork that was not initially identified by the original program manager, resulting in additional re-alignment effort, […]
In this #AmazonMechanism post, human error is inevitable. Amazon uses a mechanism called correction of error (CO) which identifies the issue, measures the customer impact, asks questions (the 5 why’s) about how it happened, and generates action items to ensure the error never happens again. (Dave Anderson, Scarlet Ink)
An instrument for decomposing complex problems into simplified solutions, is the strategy of first principles thinking, often otherwise known as reasoning from first principles, and is often leveraged by self-made geniuses such as Elon Musk. In other words, a form of mental reverse engineering. Techtello best puts it as realigning your mindset to demarcate from […]
Another fabric of Amazon’s DNA, injected all the way from Jeff B, is the mantra of Day I. It’s a simple yet profound war-cry, no matter whether Amazon is 25 years or 5 years, whether your organization within Amazon is 2 years or 12 years, everyone acts as if we are in the first day […]
Organizations often claim to be data-driven, relying on the utilization of data to base their product and engineering decisions. But not all data is equal. We have what’s called vanity metrics, misleading and misrepresentative, that are often mascaraed as forcing factors for making decisions. Vanity metrics are metrics that make you look good to others […]
Doron Katz 