There’s a mental model that comes up a lot in my day to day. When I’m solving a problem, I start by thinking about the result I want, and work backwards from there. The challenge is having the clarity to define the problem and taking care that I’m solving the right problem. This is why I start with the goal in mind.
I use the working backwards method when designing a feature. We start by writing a PRFAQ document, a document that specifies the public announcement of the feature with a section for frequently asked questions. When doing a small change or a simple bug fix, I also do the same thing, but instead of a PRFAQ doc I imagine sending an email to the team or a message on Slack saying what was fixed and what customers experience after the change.
Don’t use this tool to make bad faith arguments. In a general context, an individual might start with the desired conclusion and then work backwards to select only the premises that support it, valuing being “proven right” over discovering the truth.
I like using the methodology as a way to resolve ambiguity, it helps me clarify my desired outcome first. Sometimes I think I know what the problem is, only to figure out I was not quite framing the problem the right way.