product-requirements-designer
Product Requirements Designer
Transform product vision into actionable specifications.
Mode Selection
Document Scope
Enterprise PRD: Full cross-functional specification
- Complete problem analysis with market context
- Detailed functional and non-functional requirements
- Success metrics with measurement plans
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Full launch and rollout plan
- Stakeholder sign-off sections
Lean PRD: Hypothesis-driven one-pager
- Problem/opportunity statement
- Proposed solution with key assumptions
- MVP scope and success criteria
- Learning goals and experiment design
- Quick iteration plan
Framework Selection
Agile/Scrum: Epics → Features → User Stories → Acceptance Criteria
Jobs-to-Be-Done: Job statement → Forces diagram → Solution mapping
Outcome-Driven: Desired outcomes → Opportunity scoring → Solution requirements
Hybrid: Mix frameworks based on product stage and team needs
Enterprise PRD Structure
1. Executive Summary
- Product/feature name
- One-paragraph description
- Primary stakeholders
- Target release
- Document status and version
2. Problem Definition
2.1 Problem Statement
[User type] experiences [problem] when trying to [goal],
which results in [negative outcome].
2.2 Evidence
| Evidence Type | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| User research | [Study/interviews] | [Key insight] |
| Analytics | [Data source] | [Metric showing problem] |
| Support data | [Tickets/feedback] | [Pattern identified] |
| Market research | [Source] | [Competitive gap] |
2.3 Impact of Not Solving
- Business impact: [Revenue, churn, efficiency]
- User impact: [Frustration, abandonment, workarounds]
- Strategic impact: [Market position, competitive threat]
3. Goals and Success Metrics
3.1 Business Goals
| Goal | Metric | Current | Target | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Goal] | [KPI] | [Baseline] | [Target] | [By when] |
3.2 User Goals
| User Segment | Goal | Success Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| [Segment] | [What they want to achieve] | [How we know they succeeded] |
3.3 Success Metrics (HEART Framework)
- Happiness: [User satisfaction measure]
- Engagement: [Usage depth measure]
- Adoption: [New user/feature uptake]
- Retention: [Return usage measure]
- Task Success: [Completion rate, time, errors]
4. User Analysis
4.1 Target Users
| Persona | Description | Primary Need | Usage Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [Who they are] | [Core need] | [When/where/how] |
4.2 User Journey (Current State)
[Trigger] → [Step 1] → [Pain Point] → [Step 2] → [Pain Point] → [Outcome]
4.3 User Journey (Future State)
[Trigger] → [Improved Step 1] → [Step 2] → [Desired Outcome]
5. Solution Overview
5.1 Proposed Solution
[High-level description of what we're building]
5.2 Key Capabilities
- [Capability 1]: [What it enables]
- [Capability 2]: [What it enables]
- [Capability 3]: [What it enables]
5.3 Solution Principles
- [Principle 1]: [Why it matters]
- [Principle 2]: [Why it matters]
5.4 Out of Scope
- [Explicitly excluded item 1]
- [Explicitly excluded item 2]
6. Detailed Requirements
6.1 Functional Requirements
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR-001 | [System shall...] | P0/P1/P2 | [Why needed] |
| FR-002 | [System shall...] | P0/P1/P2 | [Why needed] |
Priority Definitions:
- P0: Must have for launch (blocking)
- P1: Should have for launch (significant value)
- P2: Nice to have (incremental value)
6.2 Non-Functional Requirements
| Category | Requirement | Target | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | [Response time, throughput] | [Specific target] | [Why] |
| Scalability | [Load, growth capacity] | [Specific target] | [Why] |
| Security | [Auth, data protection] | [Standard/compliance] | [Why] |
| Accessibility | [WCAG level, devices] | [Specific target] | [Why] |
| Reliability | [Uptime, recovery] | [Specific target] | [Why] |
6.3 Constraints
- Technical: [Platform, integration, legacy constraints]
- Business: [Budget, timeline, resource constraints]
- Regulatory: [Compliance, legal constraints]
7. User Experience
7.1 UX Principles for This Feature
7.2 Key Interactions
| Interaction | User Action | System Response | Success State |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [What user does] | [What happens] | [Result] |
7.3 Edge Cases and Error States
| Scenario | Handling | User Message |
|---|---|---|
| [Edge case] | [How handled] | [What user sees] |
8. Technical Considerations
8.1 Architecture Impact
- [System/component affected]: [Type of change]
8.2 Dependencies
| Dependency | Type | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [System/API/Team] | Blocking/Informational | [Who] | [Status] |
8.3 Data Requirements
- New data entities: [List]
- Data migrations: [Required/Not required]
- Privacy considerations: [PII handling, retention]
8.4 Integration Points
| System | Integration Type | Data Flow |
|---|---|---|
| [System] | [API/Event/Batch] | [In/Out/Bidirectional] |
9. Risk Assessment
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Risk description] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | [Mitigation plan] |
10. Launch Plan
10.1 Rollout Strategy
- Internal dogfood: [Date]
- Beta/Limited release: [Date, criteria]
- General availability: [Date]
10.2 Feature Flags
| Flag | Purpose | Default | Rollout Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Flag name] | [What it controls] | Off/On | [% ramp plan] |
10.3 Success Criteria for Each Phase
| Phase | Success Criteria | Go/No-Go Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | [Criteria] | [Who decides] |
| GA | [Criteria] | [Who decides] |
10.4 Rollback Plan
[Conditions and process for rollback]
11. Cross-Functional Requirements
11.1 Marketing
- Positioning: [Key message]
- Launch activities: [Required support]
11.2 Sales/CS
- Training needs: [What teams need to know]
- Documentation: [Customer-facing docs needed]
11.3 Legal/Compliance
- Reviews required: [List]
- Approvals needed: [List]
12. Timeline and Milestones
| Milestone | Date | Owner | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRD approved | [Date] | [PM] | Stakeholder review |
| Design complete | [Date] | [Design] | PRD |
| Dev complete | [Date] | [Eng] | Design |
| QA complete | [Date] | [QA] | Dev |
| Launch | [Date] | [PM] | All |
13. Open Questions
| Question | Owner | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Question] | [Who answers] | [When] | Open/Resolved |
14. Appendix
- A: User Research Summary
- B: Competitive Analysis
- C: Technical Design Doc (link)
- D: Design Specs (link)
15. Sign-Off
| Role | Name | Date | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | |||
| Engineering | |||
| Design | |||
| [Other stakeholders] |
Lean PRD Structure (One-Pager)
Header
Feature: [Name]
Owner: [PM]
Date: [Date]
Status: Draft/In Review/Approved
Problem
[2-3 sentences: Who has the problem, what is it, why does it matter]
Hypothesis
We believe that [solution/change]
for [user segment]
will achieve [outcome]
We will know this is true when [measurable signal]
Proposed Solution
[Brief description with key capabilities—keep to 3-5 bullets]
Key Assumptions
| Assumption | Risk if Wrong | How to Validate |
|---|---|---|
| [Assumption] | [Impact] | [Test/signal] |
MVP Scope
In: [Minimum features for learning] Out: [Explicitly deferred]
Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Measurement Method |
|---|---|---|
| [Primary metric] | [Target] | [How measured] |
| [Secondary metric] | [Target] | [How measured] |
Timeline
- Build: [Duration]
- Learn: [Duration]
- Decide: [Date for go/no-go]
Resources Needed
- Engineering: [Estimate]
- Design: [Estimate]
- Other: [Estimate]
Risks and Mitigations
[Top 2-3 risks with mitigations]
Next Steps
- [Immediate next action]
- [Following action]
Framework-Specific Templates
Agile: Epic Template
See references/agile-templates.md
Jobs-to-Be-Done: Job Map Template
See references/jtbd-templates.md
Outcome-Driven: Opportunity Template
See references/odi-templates.md
Related Artifacts
This skill scaffolds the following artifacts alongside the PRD:
User Stories
See references/user-stories-template.md
Acceptance Criteria
See references/acceptance-criteria-template.md
Wireframes Brief
See references/wireframes-brief-template.md
Technical Handoff Spec
See references/technical-handoff-template.md
Workflow
Discovery Phase
- Problem validation → Evidence gathering → Opportunity sizing
Definition Phase
- Solution framing → Requirements drafting → Stakeholder alignment
Specification Phase
- Detailed requirements → UX specs → Technical specs
Alignment Phase
- Cross-functional review → Risk assessment → Sign-off
Handoff Phase
- Artifact scaffolding → Team briefing → Kickoff
References
references/agile-templates.md- Epic, feature, story templatesreferences/jtbd-templates.md- Job statement, forces diagramreferences/odi-templates.md- Outcome-driven innovation templatesreferences/user-stories-template.md- User story formatsreferences/acceptance-criteria-template.md- AC patternsreferences/wireframes-brief-template.md- Design handoff briefreferences/technical-handoff-template.md- Engineering handoff spec