Work & careers
work backwards
plan from the desired result
To work backwards is to plan by starting with the result you want and deciding what must happen before it.
Hear it in real life
How will you finish the project in time?
I'll work backwards from the launch date.
Let's work backwards from the delivery date and set a deadline for each stage.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: We worked backward from the deadline to make our plan.
Say: We worked backwards from the deadline to make our plan.
In British English, this planning phrase is normally written “work backwards”; “work backward” is also used in American English.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
work backwards from something; worked backwards from something
Your turn: say it out loud
Let's work backwards from the delivery date and set a deadline for each stage.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
work backwards
plan from the desired result
“Let's work backwards from the delivery date and set a deadline for each stage.”
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