Prd Patterns

PRD Patterns

PRD Structure Template

# [Feature Name] PRD

**Status**: Draft | In Review | Approved | Shipped
**Author**: [Name]
**Reviewers**: [Engineering Lead], [Design Lead], [Data], [Legal if needed]
**Last Updated**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Target Release**: Q[X] YYYY

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## 1. Problem Statement
One paragraph. What user pain exists? What evidence supports it?

## 2. Goals & Success Metrics
- Goal 1: [Outcome, not output]
- Success metric: [Specific measurable target with baseline]

## 3. Non-Goals
- Explicitly exclude scope to prevent creep

## 4. User Stories
[See user-stories.md for format]

## 5. Functional Requirements
FR-001: [Requirement]
FR-002: [Requirement]

## 6. Non-Functional Requirements
NFR-001: Latency < 200ms at p95
NFR-002: Availability 99.9%

## 7. UX/Design
[Figma link] [Key screens described]

## 8. Technical Considerations
[Architecture notes, dependencies, risks]

## 9. Edge Cases & Error States
[Table of edge cases]

## 10. Analytics Plan
[Events to instrument]

## 11. Launch Plan
[Phased rollout, feature flags, comms]

## 12. Open Questions
| Question | Owner | Due |
|----------|-------|-----|

Acceptance Criteria Writing

GIVEN / WHEN / THEN Format

GIVEN [context/precondition]
WHEN [action taken]
THEN [expected outcome]
AND [additional assertion]

Example:
GIVEN a user is logged in with a free plan
WHEN they click "Export to CSV"
THEN they see an upgrade modal
AND the modal shows Pro plan features
AND clicking "Upgrade" redirects to /billing

Checklist Format (simpler features)

AC-001: User can filter by date range
  - [ ] Start date defaults to 30 days ago
  - [ ] End date defaults to today
  - [ ] Invalid range (start > end) shows inline error
  - [ ] Maximum range: 365 days; exceeding shows error message
  - [ ] Empty result set shows empty state with CTA

Edge Cases Documentation

Edge Case Table

Error States Checklist

• 400 Bad Request: show user-friendly validation message
• 401 Unauthorized: redirect to login
• 403 Forbidden: show "you don't have access" message
• 404 Not Found: show 404 page with navigation
• 429 Rate Limited: show "too many requests, try again in X seconds"
• 500 Server Error: show generic error with support link
• Network offline: show offline banner, queue actions if feasible

Requirement Writing Rules

DO

• Use "the system SHALL" for mandatory requirements
• Use "the system SHOULD" for recommended
• Use "the system MAY" for optional
• Reference exact UI element names from design
• Include specific numbers (thresholds, limits, timeouts)
• Attach Figma links to specific frames

DON'T

• Write vague requirements: "the page should load fast" → "p95 < 2s"
• Combine multiple behaviors in one requirement
• Leave decisions open: "TBD" in approved PRDs is a blocker
• Describe implementation, only describe behavior

Stakeholder Sign-Off Process

Review Stages

1. Author Draft (Day 0)
   → Self-review against checklist below

2. Design Review (Day 1-2)
   → UX completeness, design feasibility

3. Engineering Review (Day 3-5)
   → Technical feasibility, estimates, NFRs

4. Data Review (Day 5-6)
   → Analytics plan completeness, metric definitions

5. Legal/Compliance (if needed, Day 5-7)
   → Privacy, regulatory requirements

6. PM/Leadership Approval (Day 7-10)
   → Priority alignment, resource commitment

7. Kickoff Meeting
   → All stakeholders aligned, questions resolved

PRD Self-Review Checklist

• Problem clearly stated with supporting evidence (qualitative + quantitative)
• Goals are outcomes, not outputs
• Success metrics have baseline and target values
• Non-goals explicitly listed
• All user roles/personas addressed
• Every functional requirement has at least one acceptance criterion
• All edge cases documented
• Error states defined
• NFRs specified (performance, availability, security)
• Analytics instrumentation plan included
• Dependencies on other teams identified
• Rollout plan defined (flag? % rollout? which segments?)
• Open questions resolved or assigned owners

PRD Status Definitions

Minimal PRD (for small features)

For < 2 sprint features, use this lighter format:

## What
[1-2 sentence description]

## Why
[Problem + evidence]

## How (Behavior)
- [Bullet list of user-visible behaviors]

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] AC1
- [ ] AC2

## Not included
- [Explicit scope exclusions]

## Metrics
- Primary: [metric]
- Secondary: [metric]