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Product Requirement Doc

Just get it done fast; we'll figure out the details later.' These words, spoken by a startup CEO I once worked with, led to six months of wasted engineering effort and a product that missed the mark entirely. Whenever I hear a similar sentiment, I share a simple truth:

Speed without direction is just a sophisticated way of going nowhere.

This is where the art of PRD writing comes in.

What challenges does this help with?

I'd put Product Requirement Doc on your radar and read on, if you're facing these challenges:

  •

    The most common issues within the organization. You probably won’t be able to get rid of this, once you have a scale, but you can (and should) try to fight it as hard as possible. Learn more

  • High cognitive load means that the team has too many things on their shoulders, making them slower to move or to think. Learn more

  • Too many team dependencies can slow progress, as teams must wait for each other to complete tasks before moving forward. Learn more

  • No product impact means that the product or feature created does not result in any measurable change or improvement to the customer experience or business outcomes. Learn more

What is this practice?

A Product Requirements Document (PRD) captures the what and why of a product initiative. It defines the problem you're solving, who you're solving it for, and what success looks like. It's the single source of truth that aligns your team and stakeholders around a shared vision.

A PRD is not a technical specification. It's not a project plan. It's not a design document. Those all come later.

Why should you care to adopt it?

Let's be honest: nobody ever got promoted for writing great PRDs. However, I've seen countless product managers fail because they couldn't align their teams around a clear vision and requirements.

A well-crafted PRD:

  • Prevents costly misunderstandings
  • Reduces back-and-forth with stakeholders
  • Gives engineers and designers a clear context
  • Creates accountability
  • Serves as a historical record of decisions
  • Forces clear thinking about the problem

More importantly, it helps you say no. When sales ask for that extra feature, you can point to the PRD and ask how it aligns with the stated goals and requirements.

Expanding on this practice

The PRD Lifecycle

A PRD isn't a static document you write once and forget. It evolves as you learn more about the problem and solution. I break it down into three phases:

  1. Discovery PRD: Captures the problem space and initial hypotheses
  2. Solution PRD: Details the proposed solution and success metrics
  3. Execution PRD: Updates based on technical constraints and learnings

Different Levels of PRDs

Not every feature needs a 20-page document. I use three levels:

  1. One-pager: For small features and improvements
  2. Standard PRD: For typical feature development
  3. Vision PRD: For major initiatives and new products

How to implement it step-by-step

  1. Add Product Requirement Doc to your deck / :
  2. Communicate the start of work on the practice to the team.
  3. Assemble strike team to work on the practice.

  4. Initial Setup & Prerequisites Before starting your PRD, ensure you have:

    • Assembled required participants:
      • Product Manager
      • Tech Lead
      • Design Lead
    • Completed prerequisites:
      • Product vision
      • Market research
      • User research
      • Initial stakeholder alignment
    • Set aside 4-8 hours for document creation
    • Made a copy of the PRD template

  5. Write the Problem Statement Format your problem statement to include who, when, why, and impact. Example:

    Example:

    "Young professionals (25-35) struggle to maintain consistent savings habits due to irregular spending patterns and lack of proactive guidance. Current banking apps provide basic transaction categorization but fail to offer actionable, personalized insights based on individual spending behaviors."

  6. Craft the Proposed Solution

    Keep the solution description concise and focused on the value proposition, not the features.

    Example:

    "Smart Budget Insights: An AI-powered feature that analyzes spending patterns, predicts upcoming expenses, and provides personalized recommendations to help users optimize their budgets and achieve savings goals."

  7. Define Target Market

    Include these key elements:

    Example:

    • Primary persona: Sarah, 28, marketing professional
    • Market size: 28M millennials using mobile banking
    • Key trend: 72% want personalized financial guidance
    • Main competitor gap: Lack of predictive insights

  8. Establish Success Metrics

    Define measurable targets across different categories:

    Example:

    • Business metrics: 40% user adoption in first 3 months
    • User metrics: 50% increase in daily app engagement
    • Technical metrics: 95% accuracy in categorization
    • Satisfaction metrics: 4.5/5 feature satisfaction rating

  9. Define Functional Requirements

    Structure each requirement with:

    Example:

    R-001: Spending Pattern Analysis

    Description: The system must automatically analyze and categorize user transactions, identify recurring expenses, and detect unusual spending patterns

    Priority: Must-have

    Dependencies: Transaction data API, ML model integration

    Success Criteria: 95% accuracy in categorization, <2s processing time per transaction

  10. Define Non-Functional Requirements

    Cover all essential aspects:

    Example:

    FR-001: Performance

    • Transaction analysis must be completed within 2 seconds
    • App must support 1M concurrent users
    • Maximum downtime of 0.1% per month
    • 99.9% accuracy in pattern detection

  11. Define User Stories

    Format: "As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit]"

    Example:

    "As a young professional, I want to receive alerts about unusual spending patterns so I can adjust my behavior before exceeding my budget."

  12. Map User Flows

    Detail step-by-step processes:

    Example:

    • System detects higher-than-usual restaurant spending
    • Push notification sent: "Your dining expenses are 40% higher than usual this month."
    • The user taps the notification to open a detailed breakdown
    • App displays:
      • Current vs. typical spending comparison
      • Contributing transactions
      • Recommended actions
    • User can:
      • Adjust budget categories
      • Set new spending alerts
      • View saving recommendations

  13. Define Design Requirements

    Specify all design considerations:

    Example:

    • Visual Design
      • Use existing mobile banking design system
      • Insights cards in the main feed
      • Progressive disclosure for detailed analysis
      • Clear hierarchy:
        • Alert
        • Summary
        • Details
        • Actions
    • Accessibility
      • WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
      • Support for VoiceOver and TalkBack
      • Minimum touch target size: 44x44pt
      • Color contrast ratio: 4.5:1 minimum

  14. Define Technical & Security Considerations

    Example:

    • Architecture:
      • ML model for pattern recognition
      • Real-time transaction processing
      • Notification service integration
      • Secure data storage for historical analysis
    • Security Requirements:
      • End-to-end encryption for all data
      • Multi-factor authentication for settings
      • GDPR and CCPA compliance
      • Regular security audits

  15. Plan Release Strategy

    Define clear phases:

    Example:

    • Internal beta (2 weeks)
    • 5,000 power users beta (4 weeks)
    • Gradual rollout to all users (6 weeks)
    • Feature complete launch (Week 12)

  16. Define Success Criteria

    Set specific, measurable targets:

    Example:

    • 99.9% uptime
    • <100ms response time
    • <1% error rate
    • 90% positive user feedback

PS: If you need help with implementing the Product Requirement Doc, contact me. I have 20+ years of commercial experience working with bigger and smaller companies, upgrading product, design, and engineering teams to the next level. I can also connect you with experts on this subject.

Product Requirement Doc Template

Product Requirement Doc Template

Download links:

Tips & tricks

Start with a template

A consistent format across your PRDs makes them easier to review and maintain. But don’t let the template become a straightjacket. Adapt it to your needs. You can use the template I prepared above.

Write incrementally

Don’t try to perfect every section before sharing. Get early feedback on the problem statement and success metrics before diving deep into requirements.

Use visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words. Use diagrams, wireframes, and user flows to illustrate your points. They often spark better discussions than paragraphs of text.

Keep it living

Update your PRD as you learn more. Track changes so people can see how the thinking evolved. A PRD that’s never updated is a dead PRD.

Common mistakes

  1. Writing the PRD after development starts
  2. Including implementation details
  3. Not getting stakeholder buy-in early
  4. Making it too long and detailed
  5. Not defining clear success metrics
  6. Forgetting about non-functional requirements
  7. Not considering edge cases

How to convince your boss

If your boss is resistant to PRDs, start small. Pick a contained feature and write a one-page PRD. Show how it:

  1. Saved time in engineering discussions
  2. Reduced scope creep
  3. Made stakeholder reviews more efficient
  4. Created clear accountability

Better yet, show them a project that went sideways because requirements weren’t documented. Nothing sells process like pain.

Final thoughts

PRDs aren’t about documentation for documentation’s sake. They’re about clear thinking and communication. The best PRDs read like a story - here’s the problem we’re solving, why it matters, and how we’ll know if we’ve succeeded.

Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for clarity. And remember, a PRD is a means to an end, not the end itself. The goal is to build great products that solve real problems.

Want to work on this?

Want to work on Product Requirement Doc in your team or company?

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Here are other practices related to Product Requirement Doc:

  •

    A product roadmap is a visual plan that outlines the steps and timeline for developing a product, showing what will be done and when. Learn more

  • Product strategy provides the logical sequence of big bets (projects, value streams) that will take you to Product Vision. Learn more

  • Product vision tells a story about how would you like your product to look like in 3-5 years. Learn more

  • ICE prioritization is a framework for ranking ideas based on their Impact, Confidence, and Ease of implementation. Learn more

  • Product Trio is a product team leadership group consisting of three critical roles to deliver high-quality products: a product manager, a designer, and a tech lead. Learn more

  • Prototypes are early models or samples of a product that allow teams to test ideas, gather feedback, and make improvements before final production. Learn more

  • Customer Interviews is a research practice where product teams conduct structured conversations with users to understand their needs, pain points, and behaviors. Learn more

Learn more

Here are some useful links if you want to learn more:

Hope that's useful!

Piotr Kacała