Take-home: write a press release and FAQ for a new internal platform, as if it had launched, before anyone starts building it.
A working-backwards press release for an internal platform describes the launch from the engineer's side, in plain language, and the FAQ then answers the hard questions on cost, adoption, scope and risk. The FAQ is where assessors look, and a strong one admits where the numbers do not yet justify the build.
Answer
Short answer
Write the press release as the announcement engineers would read on launch day, then let the FAQ do the real work. A working-backwards document starts from the customer's experience, here an internal engineer's, and only later reaches architecture. The press release should fit on one page and name one problem plainly. The FAQ should answer the questions a sceptical finance partner, security lead and team lead would ask, including the ones that weaken your case.
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Likely follow-ups
- Your break-even depends on new-service volume. What would you do if that volume halved next year?
- Which FAQ question did you leave out because you did not like the answer?
- How would the press release change if the first customers were data teams rather than service teams?
- Who should read the draft before you submit it, and what are you hoping each of them will attack?
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