The Product Requirements Document (PRD) is one of the most powerful, and most misunderstood, documents in a Product Manager’s toolkit.
A great PRD isn’t a static specification. It’s a living document that serves as the single source of truth for an initiative. I see it as a tool for alignment, clarity, and speed. It forces you to clarify the why before you jump to the what, and it aligns everyone (engineering, design, marketing, and leadership) on a shared goal.
The key isn’t to write a rigid, 50-page spec. The key is to create a document that answers the hard questions upfront so the team can move fast.
I’ve seen dozens of templates, from simple 1-pagers (like those championed by product thinkers I admire, like Lenny Rachitsky) to more comprehensive versions. The exact format doesn’t matter as much as what it achieves: shared understanding.
Over time, I’ve developed a template that works for me. It’s comprehensive enough to answer the hard questions but light enough to be created in a short space of time.
Here is the straightforward structure I use.
My PRD Template
I find the most effective way to explain this is to walk through the template, section by section, using a concrete example.
Let’s use a common feature: “Self-Service Password Reset.”
1. What problem are we trying to solve?
This is the most important section. If you can’t state this clearly, you shouldn’t be building anything.
- Problem Statement: State the user pain point or business need in plain language.
- Goals: List what you are trying to achieve.
- Non-Goals: Be explicit about what you are NOT solving. This is critical for preventing scope creep and managing stakeholder expectations.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- Problem: Currently, users who forget their password have no way to regain access to their account without contacting the support team. This is a frustrating experience for the user and creates a manual, repetitive workload for our support staff.
- Goal: Enable users to securely reset their own password 24/7 via an automated email link.
- Non-Goal: We are not building passwordless login (e.g., magic links or social sign-in) or “forgot username” functionality at this time.
2. How do we know this is a real problem?
This is your evidence. Why is this worth solving now? Link directly to your data.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- Support Ticket Data: Password reset requests are currently our #1 category for support tickets, accounting for 30% of our weekly volume.
- User Research: In 5 recent usability tests, 3 users mentioned they’d expect a “Forgot Password” link on the login page.
- Competitive Standard: This is a standard, expected feature for any modern web application.
3. Who are we building for?
Be specific as you can. Personas can help here.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- This feature is for all existing, registered users of our platform. It does not affect new users during their sign-up flow.
4. How do we know if we’ve solved this problem?
Define your success metrics upfront. This forces honesty about the goal and gives you a clear target to aim for. As your understanding grows, revisit these metrics.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- Primary Metric: Reduce the number of support tickets related to “password reset” by 90% within one month of launch.
- Secondary Metric: Track the successful completion rate of the password reset flow (e.g., % of users who start the flow and successfully log in).
5. Scope & Solution Ideas
This is where you start to define the “what.” It’s not a final spec, but the starting point for discussion with design and engineering. I often use a simple MoSCoW (Must, Should, Could, Won’t) to start a conversation.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
| Epic/Theme | User Need | MoSCoW |
|---|---|---|
| Reset Flow | As a user, I want to click a “Forgot Password” link on the login page so I can initiate the reset process. | Must |
| Reset Flow | As a user, I want to enter my email address and receive an email with a secure, time-limited reset link. | Must |
| Reset Flow | As a user, I want to click the link, enter a new password, and be logged in. | Must |
| Security | The system must invalidate the reset link after it’s used or after 24 hours. | Must |
| UX | As a user, I want to see a confirmation message on screen that my password has been successfully changed. | Should |
| UX | As a user, I want to receive an email notification that my password was changed, as a security precaution. | Could |
6. Risks & Mitigations
What could go wrong? Think about it now, not when it’s on fire. Risks don’t need to be a scary thing. Identifying them early can help you avoid issues that can sink a project.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Email Deliverability: Our reset emails go to users’ spam folders. | Use a reputable transactional email service (e.g., SendGrid, Postmark) and provide clear UI text telling users to check their spam. |
| Security: A bad actor could use this to try and brute-force accounts. | Implement rate-limiting on the “send email” endpoint to prevent abuse. |
7. Refined User Stories
This section gets filled out after the team has unpicked the problem. This is the source of truth for the agreed-upon scope of delivery. I often link directly to the epics or tickets.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- Epic: Self-Service Password Reset
-
Stories:
- As a user, I want to click a “Forgot Password” link on the login page so I can initiate the reset process.
- As a user, I want to enter my email address and receive a secure, time-limited reset link.
- As a user, I want to be told if the email I entered does not exist in the system.
8. Key Stakeholders
To ensure everyone is clear on their role, I use a simple RACI. This avoids confusion about who has the final say and who just needs to be kept in the loop.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
| Role | Name / Team |
|---|---|
| Responsible (Does the work) | Engineering Team, Design |
| Accountable (Owns the outcome) | Dharmesh (me) |
| Consulted (Gives input) | Head of Support, Legal (for T&Cs) |
| Informed (Is kept updated) | Marketing, Leadership |
9. Strategic Alignment & Links
Finally, I tie the work back to our wider strategy. This reminds everyone why this matters for the business and helps us avoid building in isolation. This is also a great place to put all the relevant links.
Example: Self-Service Password Reset
- Strategic Goal: This supports our 2026 OKR of “Improve Core User Experience & Foundational Stability.”
-
Relevant Links:
- [Figma Designs for Password Reset Flow]
- [User Research on Login Frustration]
- [Tech Spec Document]
The PRD is a Living Document
A PRD is not a one-and-done task. It’s the starting point for a conversation.
I write the V1, share it with my core team (Engineering Lead, Design Lead), and get their immediate feedback. We poke holes in it together. Then, we use it in the kick-off meeting with the wider team to build shared context.
As we learn more during design and development, we update the PRD. It remains the source of truth, reflecting our latest decisions and any changes in scope.
How your team uses it from there can vary. I’ve seen teams use the PRD as the ultimate source of truth, with every epic and ticket linking back to it. I’ve also seen other teams use it as a “jumping-off point” to get development started. There’s no wrong way to do this. The important thing is that it serves its purpose: creating alignment.
Your first PRD will be wrong about something. That’s fine. The goal is “often wrong, never in doubt.” A PRD is your current best hypothesis, a stake in the ground that lets the entire team move forward with focus and speed.
Stop worrying about making it perfect. Write it, share it, and get building.
