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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0706 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Working Backwards

Start from the customer outcome and reason backward to today.

Decision·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Start from the customer outcome and reason backward to today.

Plain-English Definition

Start from the customer outcome and reason backward to today.

Feynman Explanation

Most strategy is built forward and works backward at random.

Core Principle

Start from the customer outcome and reason backward to today.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Start from the customer outcome and reason backward to today.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Product strategy and roadmapping.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Most strategy is built forward and works backward at random.

Examples

Everyday
  • Amazon's PR-FAQ method.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Product strategy and roadmapping.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Write the future press release first. Then build to it.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Product strategy and roadmapping.
Amplifying Incentives
Product strategy and roadmapping.
Org Failure Modes
Product strategy and roadmapping.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Write the future press release first. Then build to it.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Write the future press release first. Then build to it.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Write the future press release first. Then build to it.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0706 · COG
Working Backwards
WBRu10/10/10 RuleAbAbsent-MindednessABAlternative BlindnessAPAlternative PathsAPAnalysis ParalysisAnAnchoringADAsian Disease ProblemABAttentional BiasABAutomation BiasBEBezold Effect

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.