Amazon PM behavioral: stepping into another owner's project and the customer response

In an Amazon product manager behavioral interview, you are asked about a time you became involved in a project that did not start out as yours. The interviewer then follows up by asking how the customer reacted to the changes you made. Answer both parts. ### Clarifying Questions - Does a project I was formally handed after its owner left count, or should it be one I stepped into without being asked? - Who should I treat as the customer: the external end users of the product, or an internal team that relied on the project? - Do you mean changes I made to the project's scope and plan, or changes to the product the customer actually experienced? ### Part 1 — How you got involved and what you changed Describe the project, why it was not originally yours, how and why you became involved, and the changes you drove once you were. ```hint Name the gap Make clear what was at risk for customers or the business if nobody stepped in, and how you worked with the original owners instead of taking the project from them. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - The trigger for stepping in, and whether the candidate was asked or acted on their own initiative. - How the candidate worked with the original owner and the other stakeholders. - The specific changes made and the evidence behind them. ### Part 2 — How the customer reacted Describe how the customer responded to those changes, how you found out, and what you did in response. ```hint Evidence over impressions Say how you learned about the reaction, and include the parts that did not land well as well as the parts that did. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - How the customer reaction was measured or gathered. - Positive and negative reactions, and how the candidate responded to the negative ones. - The final effect on the customer and what the candidate learned about introducing change. ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Ownership beyond formal scope, connected to Amazon's Ownership and Customer Obsession principles. - Collaboration that builds trust with the original team rather than undermining it. - Concrete, measurable outcomes for customers and the business. - Honest reflection, including what the candidate would do differently. ### Follow-up Questions - How did the original owner feel about your involvement, and what would you have done if they had pushed back? - What did you deprioritize in your own work to take this on, and who agreed to that? - If customers had reacted badly, what signal would have made you roll the change back?