“Otherwise known as thinking through a situation in reverse or thinking “backwards,” inversion is a problem-solving technique. Often by considering what we want to avoid rather than what we want to get, we come up with better solutions. Inversion works not just in mathematics but in nearly every area of life. As the saying goes, “Just tell me where I’m going to die so I can never go there.” – Shane Parrish
“By imagining the worst case scenario ahead of time, they could overcome their fears of negative experiences and make better plans to prevent them. While most people were focused on how they could achieve success, the Stoics also considered how they would manage failure. This way of thinking, in which you consider the opposite of what you want, is known as inversion.Inversion is a powerful thinking tool because it puts a spotlight on errors and roadblocks that are not obvious at first glance. ” – James Clear
“Many problems resist being solved “from the front.” They demand that you solve them backwards or from an unintuitive angle. This is the art of inversion. Sometimes the question should not be: “What features do we build?” Rather, it should be: “What features would destroy this product?” Once you know which features are going to run your product into the ground, you can achieve a simple win just by not doing those. For PMs, the label of “CEO of the product” can sometimes tempt them into over-relying on their instincts when it comes to building product. However, it is much easier to avoid making mistakes than it is to be perfect all the time. Inversion is also a powerful way to break out of the repetitive thought-loops that can hurt your team’s ability to learn. We can easily fall into “retro-fatigue” asking questions like, “How can we innovate more?” or “Why did that project not go well?” over and over again. Our brains go on autopilot and start giving similar-sounding answers. That is why asking questions like “What can we do to innovate less?” can be such a powerful rhetorical technique. It provides you with a slightly different point of view—but one that is usually much more insightful.” – Hiten Shah
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Instead of starting at a problem and then exploring towards a solution, start at a perfect solution and work backwards to today in order to figure out where to start.
How it’s useful
Most teams tend to work forwards, which optimizes for what is practical at the cost of what’s ultimately impactful.
Working backwards helps you ensure that you focus on the most impactful, long term work for the customer because you’re always reverse-engineering from a perfect solution for them.
Note that working backwards isn’t universally better, it just creates a different perspective. It’s healthy to plan using both perspectives.
—Brandon Chu
Source:
Shane Parrish’s Farnam Street Mental Model Guide
https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/mental-models/
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James Clear Mental Models Overview
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Hiten Shah’s 3 Mental Models Every PM Needs to Make Decisions
https://amplitude.com/blog/2017/11/09/mental-models-help-pm-make-decisions
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Product Management Mental Models for Everyone – https://blackboxofpm.com/product-management-mental-models-for-everyone-31e7828cb50b
