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PRD Template

# [Feature Name] PRD

**Author:** [Name]
**Last Updated:** [Date]
**Status:** [Draft / In Review / Approved]

## Problem Statement

### The Problem
[2-3 sentences describing the problem users face. Be specific about who experiences this and when.]

### Evidence
- [Data point or user feedback supporting the problem]
- [Another data point]
- [Customer quote if available]

### Impact of Not Solving
[What happens if we don't address this? Lost revenue, churn risk, competitive disadvantage?]

## User Story

**As a** [user persona],
**I want to** [action/capability],
**so that** [benefit/outcome].

### User Persona
- **Who:** [Specific user type]
- **Context:** [When/where they encounter this]
- **Current workaround:** [How they handle it today]

## Proposed Solution

### Overview
[1-2 paragraphs describing the solution at a high level. What are we building?]

### Key Capabilities
1. **[Capability 1]:** [Brief description]
2. **[Capability 2]:** [Brief description]
3. **[Capability 3]:** [Brief description]

### User Flow
1. User [action]
2. System [response]
3. User [next action]
4. [Continue flow...]

## Acceptance Criteria

### Must Have (P0)
- [ ] [Criterion 1 - specific and testable]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]
- [ ] [Criterion 3]

### Should Have (P1)
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]

### Nice to Have (P2)
- [ ] [Criterion 1]

## Success Metrics

| Metric | Current | Target | How We'll Measure |
|--------|---------|--------|-------------------|
| [Metric 1] | [Baseline] | [Goal] | [Method] |
| [Metric 2] | [Baseline] | [Goal] | [Method] |

## Scope

### In Scope
- [What's included]
- [What's included]

### Out of Scope
- [What's explicitly not included]
- [What's explicitly not included]

### Future Considerations
- [Things we might do later]

## Dependencies

- **[Dependency 1]:** [Description and owner]
- **[Dependency 2]:** [Description and owner]

## Risks & Mitigations

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk 1] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [How we'll address] |
| [Risk 2] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [How we'll address] |

## Timeline

| Phase | Duration | Key Deliverables |
|-------|----------|------------------|
| Design | [X weeks] | [Deliverables] |
| Development | [X weeks] | [Deliverables] |
| QA | [X weeks] | [Deliverables] |
| Launch | [Date] | [What ships] |

## Open Questions

1. [Question that needs resolution]
2. [Question that needs resolution]

## Appendix

### Mockups
[Link to designs or embed images]

### Technical Notes
[Any technical context engineering needs]

### Research
[Links to user research, competitive analysis, etc.]

Required Inputs

Before writing a PRD, gather:

  1. Feature/problem description — What are we building and why?
  2. Target user — Who is this for?
  3. Success criteria — How will we know it worked?
  4. Constraints — Timeline, technical limitations, scope boundaries

Writing Tips

  • Problem first: Spend time on the problem statement. A well-defined problem makes the solution obvious.
  • Be specific: "Users can filter results" is vague. "Users can filter by date range, status, and assignee" is specific.
  • Testable criteria: Each acceptance criterion should be verifiable. If you can't test it, rewrite it.
  • Scope is a feature: Explicitly stating what's NOT included prevents scope creep.
  • Questions are okay: Better to list open questions than pretend you have all answers.

Adapting the Template

Not every PRD needs every section. For smaller features:

  • Skip Timeline if it's a quick build
  • Combine Risks and Dependencies if minimal
  • Keep Problem, Solution, and Acceptance Criteria regardless of size