PRD Creator Skill

Create comprehensive PRDs that combine the best of Shape Up methodology, Amazon's Working Backwards approach, and traditional PRD practices.

When to Use

Starting a new product or feature
Defining scope and constraints for a project
Preparing for a "bet" (Shape Up terminology)
Needing a complete product specification
Wanting to identify risks and rabbit holes early

The 12-Section PRD Framework

1. Product Overview

Project title and version
One-line description
Executive summary

2. Working Backwards (Amazon Style)

Press release headline
Customer quote (delighted user)
Internal quote (team perspective)
Call to action

3. Problem Definition

Surface problem (what users say)
Five Whys analysis (root cause)
Job to be done
Current workarounds
Why this matters now

4. Appetite & Constraints (Shape Up)

Time budget (2-week small batch or 6-week big batch)
Bet type and team size
Must Have (P0), Nice to Have (P1), Won't Have (P2)
Trade-off priorities

5. Solution Shape

Solution overview (fat marker sketch level)
Key elements
What we're NOT building (critical for scope control)

6. Boundaries & Rabbit Holes

Out of bounds (explicit exclusions)
Known rabbit holes (complexity warnings)
Dependencies
Mitigation strategies

7. Goals & Anti-Goals

Business goals
User goals
Anti-goals (what we're intentionally not solving)
Success definition

8. Customer & Users

Primary persona
Secondary personas
User journey
Frequency of use

9. FAQ Section

External FAQs (customer questions)
Internal FAQs (stakeholder questions)
Technical FAQs (implementation questions)

10. Success Metrics

North Star metric
Leading indicators (early signals)
Lagging indicators (outcome metrics)
Counter metrics (watch-outs)
Definition of done
Kill criteria (when to stop)

11. Technical Approach

Architecture overview
Key technical decisions
Security considerations
Performance requirements
Integration points

12. Betting Table Decision

Why this now (opportunity cost)
Expected return
Confidence level (1-10)
Kill criteria

The Conversation Process

The PRD creation follows a slot-filling conversation:

Initiate - Project name, version, press release headline, core problem
Problem Exploration - Five Whys analysis to reach root cause
Set Appetite - Time budget and constraints before solutions
Shape Solution - Broad strokes, not pixel-perfect
Identify Rabbit Holes - Proactive complexity identification
Working Backwards - Customer quotes and FAQs
Define Success - Metrics and kill criteria
Make the Bet - Justify the investment

Slot Map Structure

{
  "Product Overview": {
    "Project Title": "",
    "Version Number": "",
    "One-Line Description": "",
    "Executive Summary": ""
  },
  "Working Backwards": {
    "Press Release Headline": "",
    "Customer Quote": "",
    "Internal Quote": "",
    "Call to Action": ""
  },
  "Problem Definition": {
    "Surface Problem": "",
    "Five Whys Analysis": {
      "Why 1": "",
      "Why 2": "",
      "Why 3": "",
      "Why 4": "",
      "Why 5": ""
    },
    "Root Cause": "",
    "Jobs to be Done": "",
    "Current Workarounds": "",
    "Why This Matters Now": ""
  },
  "Appetite & Constraints": {
    "Time Budget": "",
    "Bet Type": "",
    "Team Size": "",
    "Must Have (P0)": [],
    "Nice to Have (P1)": [],
    "Won't Have (P2)": [],
    "Trade-off Priorities": []
  },
  "Solution Shape": {
    "Solution Overview": "",
    "Key Elements": [],
    "Fat Marker Sketches": "",
    "Breadboard Description": "",
    "What We're NOT Building": []
  },
  "Boundaries & Rabbit Holes": {
    "Out of Bounds": [],
    "Known Rabbit Holes": [],
    "Complexity Warnings": [],
    "Dependencies": [],
    "Mitigation Strategies": []
  },
  "Goals & Anti-Goals": {
    "Business Goals": [],
    "User Goals": [],
    "Anti-Goals": [],
    "Success Definition": ""
  },
  "Customer & Users": {
    "Primary Persona": "",
    "Secondary Personas": [],
    "User Journey": "",
    "Frequency of Use": ""
  },
  "FAQ Section": {
    "External FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}],
    "Internal FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}],
    "Technical FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}]
  },
  "Success Metrics": {
    "North Star Metric": "",
    "Leading Indicators": [],
    "Lagging Indicators": [],
    "Counter Metrics": [],
    "Definition of Done": ""
  },
  "Technical Approach": {
    "Architecture Overview": "",
    "Key Technical Decisions": [],
    "Security Considerations": "",
    "Performance Requirements": "",
    "Integration Points": []
  },
  "Betting Table Decision": {
    "Why This Now": "",
    "Opportunity Cost": "",
    "Expected Return": "",
    "Confidence Level": "",
    "Kill Criteria": []
  }
}

Final PRD Template

# PRD: {project_title}

## Executive Summary
**Version:** {version_number}  
**Headline:** {press_release_headline}  
**One-liner:** {one_line_description}

{executive_summary}

## The Problem

### What We Heard
"{surface_problem}"

### Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys)
1. Why? {why_1}
2. Why? {why_2}
3. Why? {why_3}
4. Why? {why_4}
5. Why? {why_5}

**Root Cause:** {root_cause}

### Job to be Done
{jobs_to_be_done}

### Current Workarounds
{current_workarounds}

## The Appetite

**Time Budget:** {time_budget}  
**Bet Type:** {bet_type}  
**Team Size:** {team_size}

### Priorities
**Must Have (P0):**
{must_have_list}

**Nice to Have (P1):**
{nice_to_have_list}

**Won't Have (P2):**
{wont_have_list}

### Trade-offs
{trade_off_priorities}

## The Solution Shape

### Overview
{solution_overview}

### Key Elements
{key_elements}

### What We're NOT Building
{not_building_list}

## Boundaries & Rabbit Holes

### Known Complexity
{rabbit_holes_and_warnings}

### Mitigation
{mitigation_strategies}

## Working Backwards

### Press Release
**{press_release_headline}**

*"{customer_quote}"* - Happy Customer

*"{internal_quote}"* - Product Team

**{call_to_action}**

### FAQs
{all_faqs_formatted}

## Success Criteria

### North Star
{north_star_metric}

### Definition of Done
{definition_of_done}

### Kill Criteria
{kill_criteria}

## The Bet

### Why Now?
{why_this_now}

### Confidence Level
{confidence_level}/10

### Expected Return
{expected_return}

Key Principles

Start with the problem, not the solution - Use Five Whys to reach root cause
Set appetite before exploring solutions - Time budget is a constraint, not an estimate
Identify rabbit holes early - Proactively flag complexity that could spiral
Write from the customer's perspective - Working backwards creates clarity
Define clear success and kill criteria - Know when to stop or pivot
Make the bet explicit - Justify why this deserves the time investment

Usage

Invoke this skill when you need to create a comprehensive PRD. The skill will guide you through a conversational slot-filling process to gather all necessary information before generating the final document.

Example prompts:

"Create a PRD for an AI-powered code review tool"
"I need to define requirements for a mobile habit tracking app"
"Help me write a product spec for a new payment feature"

prd-creator