A product requirements document, also known as a PRD, concisely outlines key information about a new product or feature. A PRD is a dynamic tool that acts as a roadmap throughout the product development process, most often established by the product manager and used by designers, stakeholders, and the whole development team.
Some see product requirements documents as outdated in the ever-changing modern development world. This isn't the case! Well done PRDs aren't long and inefficient, they're comprehensive and concise. Even agile development teams, who favour user stories over more traditional development requirements, find themselves benefitting from user-focused PRDs.
By now you might be wondering what a product requirements document typically consists of. They generally include:
Putting together a good product requirements document is well worth the effort because they...
Here at Slite, we want to make the process of putting together a product requirements document easy for you. Trust us, it does't have to be as complicated as it sounds.
Our product requirements document template will act as your product roadmap... all you have to do is brainstorm and fill in your next great product's details. Our template allows your product development team to work collaboratively, making each step of the way a breeze, no matter how many times you have to revise it.
Oh... and did we mention that it's free?
Ready to go? Begin customizing your PRD template by:
Researching... Then Researching Some More
Before you even start putting together your PRD, find out everything possible about the specific product or feature you'll be working on. You can do this by meeting with various team members or with your client directly. The more you know, the easier this process will be.
Answering The Big Questions
Product management is a daunting task and it's all too easy to get bogged down by development jargon, disorganization, and confusing details. You can avoid this by focusing on the big questions at the beginning of the development process, plain and simple.
Establishing Key Players
Since product development processes involve so many moving parts (and people!), it's best to establish the key players that make up your product development team as early as possible.
Building A Strong Consensus
Product development is notoriously tricky as there are many different parties involved, often with completely different interests and skills (think project managers, clients, investors, engineers, developers, and designers all working together).
Having all these parties work on or approve the key elements of a PRD will help balance their interests and set clear expectations from the get-go.
...voila! You've made a great start to your product development process. We're sure that your new product or feature is going to be a winner... and we can't wait to hear all about it!