In this article · 7 sections
A product requirements document, or PRD, is the shared source of truth for what you are building and why. A good one prevents misunderstandings, keeps teams aligned and gives designers and engineers the context they need to make smart decisions. A bad one is either so vague that it settles nothing or so long that nobody reads it.
The goal is not paperwork. It is clarity. Here is how to write a PRD that people actually use.
What a PRD should do
- Explain the problem and why it matters
- Define who it is for
- State what success looks like
- Describe what the product must do, and what it will not do
- Provide enough detail for design and engineering to start, without dictating every solution
Keep it as short as the project allows. A small feature may need one page. A major product may need several.
Suggested structure
1. Overview and context
A short summary: what is this, and why now? Link to research, data or customer feedback that triggered the work.
2. Problem statement
State the problem in plain language, from the user’s perspective:
“[Type of user] struggles to [task] because [reason], which leads to [impact].”
Ground it in evidence from interviews, support tickets or analytics. Our user interview guide helps gather that evidence.
3. Goals and success metrics
List the outcomes you want and how you will measure them.
- Goals: “Reduce the time to send a first invoice”
- Metrics: “Median time to first invoice falls from 12 minutes to under 5”
- Guardrail metrics: things that should not get worse, such as support tickets or crash rate
Also list non-goals, which are things you are deliberately not trying to achieve. They protect scope.
4. Users and use cases
Describe the primary users and the situations in which they will use the product. Include a few concrete scenarios or user stories:
“As a freelancer, I want to reuse a previous invoice so that I can bill repeat clients quickly.”
5. Requirements
This is the core. Break it into prioritised items.
| Priority | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Must have | The release cannot ship without it |
| Should have | Important but can follow shortly |
| Could have | Nice if time allows |
| Won’t have (now) | Explicitly out of scope for this release |
For each requirement, write acceptance criteria that anyone can test:
“Given a saved invoice, when the user taps Duplicate, a new draft appears with the same line items and today’s date.”
The MVP planning guide explains how to prioritise with a simple scoring method.
6. User flows and design
Link to wireframes, prototypes or flow diagrams. Describe key states: empty, loading, error and success. Note any accessibility requirements. See our UX process guide.
7. Technical considerations
Capture constraints and dependencies without over-prescribing the solution: integrations, performance targets, data and privacy requirements, security needs and platform support. Ask engineers to review early, since they often spot risks and simpler options.
8. Analytics and tracking
List the events and properties needed to measure the success metrics. Decide this up front so data exists on launch day. See which app events to track.
9. Launch plan and rollout
How will it be released: all at once, staged, or behind a feature flag? What support, documentation and communication are needed? What is the rollback plan?
10. Open questions and risks
List what you do not yet know, who will answer it and by when. List risks with mitigations. This section keeps uncertainty visible instead of buried.
11. Timeline and ownership
Name the owner, key reviewers and rough milestones. Dates are estimates; keep them honest.
Tips for a PRD people will read
- Write for the reader, with plain language and short sections
- Lead with the why, before the what
- Use tables and lists for scanning
- Avoid solutions in the problem statement
- Keep it living. Update it when decisions change, and note the date
- Review together. A PRD is a conversation starter, not a handoff
- Version it so people know they have the latest
Common mistakes
- Starting with features instead of the problem
- No success metrics
- Requirements that cannot be tested
- Everything marked “must have”
- Writing it alone and never discussing it
- Letting it go stale
A compact template
Title / owner / date / status
1. Summary and context
2. Problem statement (with evidence)
3. Goals, non-goals, metrics
4. Users and scenarios
5. Requirements (priority + acceptance criteria)
6. Design links and states
7. Technical notes and dependencies
8. Analytics plan
9. Rollout plan
10. Risks and open questions
11. Milestones and ownersChecklist
- Problem backed by evidence
- Goals, non-goals and metrics defined
- Requirements prioritised with acceptance criteria
- Design and technical input included
- Analytics planned
- Risks and open questions listed
- Reviewed with design, engineering and stakeholders
Final thoughts
A PRD earns its keep when it makes decisions easier and surprises rarer. Keep it focused, testable and alive. If you would like help turning an idea into a clear scope and plan, contact our team or explore our app development service.
