# Draft Prd > Draft a Product Requirements Document from a North Star, an OKR Key Result, raw founder notes, or a BACKLOG entry that needs more spec. Use when the user asks to draft a PRD, write a PRD, write requirements, write a product spec / PRD, turn notes into a PRD, or invokes /tandem:draft-prd. Operates as Founder hat (synthesis) handing to PM hat (write). Reads strategy sources and produces 20-Requirements/PRD-.md following 91-Templates/PRD.template.md — 8 mandatory H2 sections, lightweight markdown, no frontmatter. - Skill: `data-ai-xyz/draft-prd` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add data-ai-xyz/draft-prd` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/data-ai-xyz/draft-prd/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Product & Planning - Author: DATA-AI-XYZ (https://skillmd.com/u/data-ai-xyz) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/data-ai-xyz/draft-prd --- # Tandem: draft-prd (Founder → PM hat) Operate as **Founder hat** for the synthesis (problem framing, audience, goals), transitioning to **PM hat** for the write (requirements, constraints, open questions). PRDs sit upstream of the Epic/Feature/Story graph — they describe the **problem and desired end state**; the Epic encodes the **work commitment**. This skill is **net-new content**. There is no paste-prompt for it in `92-Prompts/` — the kit previously assumed PRDs existed but provided no skill to draft them. The synthesis flow below IS the source of truth for PRD drafting in this kit. ## Why this skill exists (gap closed) The kit's pre-2026-05-23 lifecycle: ``` North Star → ??? (gap) → OKR or Epic → Feature → Story → Testplan → Done ``` `prompt 02` (`draft-epic-from-okr-or-prd`) accepts a PRD path as input but no upstream skill produces one. `draft-prd` closes that gap so the chain is unbroken from North Star to shipped work. ## Inputs needed - A source of strategic intent. Any of: - A North Star file path (`_00-Project-Management/00-Strategy/NORTH-STAR.md`) - An OKR Key Result (file path + which KR — e.g. "OKR-2026-Q3.md, O2 KR-1") - A BACKLOG entry that needs more spec before becoming an Epic (path under `_00-Project-Management/11-Backlog/`) - Raw founder notes pasted inline - The intended PRD slug (kebab-case, ≤6 words — e.g. `html-output-convention`). - If the user didn't supply input, ask: "What's the source? Paste a path or the notes themselves. What slug should the PRD use?" ## Load into context Use `Read` / `Glob` to detect existence. Treat missing files as "not present" rather than throwing. - **Source artefact** at the resolved path (or the inline notes from the user). - **North Star** (`_00-Project-Management/00-Strategy/NORTH-STAR.md`) — for strategic linkage even when the source is a BACKLOG entry, so the PRD's `Source:` line can reference upstream intent. - **Existing OKRs** (`_00-Project-Management/00-Strategy/OKR-*.md`, most recent) — for the success-metrics section linkage if applicable. - **PRD template** — `_00-Project-Management/91-Templates/PRD.template.md`. Use verbatim — do not redraft section headings from memory. The 8 mandatory H2 sections are: `Problem`, `Audience`, `Goals`, `Non-goals`, `Success metrics`, `Key requirements`, `Constraints`, `Open questions`. - **Existing PRDs** — glob `_00-Project-Management/20-Requirements/PRD-*.md` (top-level + subdirs) to see established shape conventions and avoid duplicating an existing PRD. - **SOP** — `_00-Project-Management/90-Standards/SOP.md` for the strategy-linkage rule (every PRD-driven Epic must reference its PRD section). - **Project root `CLAUDE.md`** — for project-specific overrides. ## Synthesis flow (the load-bearing part) This is what makes a `draft-prd` skill different from a plain `cat template > new-prd.md` operation. Follow these 5 steps in order — do not skip ahead. Each step has a checkpoint. ### Step 1 — Read & cluster Read all source material end-to-end. Extract every distinct concern, complaint, observation, or stated requirement into a flat list. Then **cluster** them into 5–8 themes by what they're really about. A theme that contains only 1 item is suspicious — either fold it into a neighbouring theme or interrogate whether it's a real concern. **Checkpoint:** show the user the clustered themes. Wait for confirmation before drafting. ### Step 2 — Frame the problem (Founder hat) For each theme, write the **lived experience** in one sentence: who feels this, when, and what they do instead today. If you can't write this without naming a solution, the problem isn't framed yet — push back to Step 1. The Problem section is the foundation; everything downstream rots if it's vague. **Checkpoint:** read the draft Problem section to the user. Ask: "Does this name what hurts, not what we'd build?" ### Step 3 — Draft the PRD body (PM hat) Open the template and fill all 8 sections in order: 1. **Problem** — synthesised from Step 2. 2. **Audience** — primary, secondary, explicit out-of-audience. Be specific about role + context. 3. **Goals** — 3–5 outcomes phrased as desired end-state, not features to build. 4. **Non-goals** — 3–5 deferrals. The mid-spec-creep firewall. 5. **Success metrics** — quantitative where possible. Tie each metric back to the source OKR KR if applicable. 6. **Key requirements** — numbered (R1, R2, R3…) so downstream Epics + Stories can reference them. Each requirement testable. 7. **Constraints** — technical, business, operational. Make assumed constraints explicit. 8. **Open questions** — what you don't know yet. Better to list honestly than fake certainty. ### Step 4 — Confirm with the user Show the full draft PRD in chat **before writing the file**. Ask three questions: - "Are the non-goals strict enough? Anything stakeholders might assume is in scope?" - "Are success metrics measurable, or vibes?" - "What's missing? Open questions section is honest about that — but anything else?" Wait for edits before saving. ### Step 5 — Save Write to `_00-Project-Management/20-Requirements/PRD-.md` using the template verbatim. Plain markdown — **no frontmatter** (matches the kit's existing PRD convention; validator does not scan `20-Requirements/`). Set the document `Status:` field at the top to `draft` and the `Date:` to today. **Write-outcomes, inline-first:** Before saving, apply the `write-outcomes` rules inline to the PRD's technical content (Problem through Open questions) to produce the outcome line; dispatch a sub-agent only under ADR-0105 — write-outcomes runs inline first, rather than dispatching a sub-agent per artefact's named conditions (this producer's own context is near its limit, or an isolation-worthy batch run). Insert the single-line outcome (founder voice, no label or quotes) as a founder-facing summary immediately below the `Status:` line. It is one outcome sentence, not a re-digest of every section. ## Output rules - The 8 H2 section headings are **mandatory and fixed**. Do not rename, reorder, or omit them — the `draft-prd` testplan grep is exact-match, and downstream skills look for them by exact string. - PRDs are markdown-only artefacts. **No YAML frontmatter** (no `type:`, `id:`, `status:` block). The header `**Status:** draft | reviewed | approved | superseded` near the top of the body is the status surface. - Use appendices for material that supports but doesn't belong inside the 8 sections (user research, competitor scans, glossary, new-artefact-type frontmatter contracts). - If during Step 3 you find a requirement that needs its own ADR-level decision (e.g. "should PRDs have frontmatter?"), file an ADR in the same response per the kit's "ADR on the spot" rule. ## Non-negotiable rules from CLAUDE.md - Strategy linkage — the PRD's `Source:` header line must reference its upstream OKR KR, North Star section, or BACKLOG entry. PRDs without strategic linkage drift. - Templates rule — use `PRD.template.md` verbatim. Do not redraft the 8 H2 section headings from memory. - ADR on the spot — if the PRD requires a new artefact-type frontmatter contract or other non-obvious decision, file an ADR. ## End-of-session summary (always emit) - File written: `_00-Project-Management/20-Requirements/PRD-.md` - Status: `draft` (awaiting user review → `approved`) - Themes clustered: X - Key requirements (R1..Rn): n - Open questions captured: y - Linked source: ## Next command Next: `/tandem:draft-epic` — turn this PRD into an Epic that commits the work.