Project Docs

Project Documentation Skill

Patterns and templates for creating project briefs and product requirements documents (PRDs).

Purpose

Create non-technical project documentation that answers:

• What is this project?
• Who is it for?
• Why does it exist?
• What problem does it solve?

This is NOT technical documentation. For technical docs, use CLAUDE.md.

Project Brief vs PRD vs CLAUDE.md

Project.md Structure

Minimal (MVP/Side Projects)

# [Project Name]

> [Tagline - one memorable sentence]

[2-3 sentence description]

## Problem

[What pain point does this solve?]

## Solution

[How does your project solve it?]

## Target User

[Who is this for?]

Standard (Startups/Products)

# [Project Name]

> [Tagline]

[Description]

## Problem

**What**: [The pain point]
**Who**: [Who experiences it]
**Impact**: [Cost of the problem]

## Solution

[Value proposition]

## Target Audience

**Primary User**: [Role and context]
- Technical level: [Level]
- Key goal: [What they want]

## Core Features

| Feature | Benefit |
|---------|---------|
| [Name] | [User value] |

## Success Metrics

| Metric | Target | Timeframe |
|--------|--------|-----------|
| [KPI] | [Goal] | [When] |

Comprehensive (Enterprise/Funded)

# [Project Name]

> [Tagline]

[Description]

## Executive Summary

[One paragraph overview for executives]

## Problem Statement

**Problem**: [Detailed pain point]
**Evidence**: [Data, research, quotes]
**Who**: [Target segment with size]
**Impact**: [Business cost if unsolved]

## Solution

**Value Proposition**:
For [TARGET USER]
who [NEED/PROBLEM],
[PROJECT NAME] is a [CATEGORY]
that [KEY BENEFIT].
Unlike [ALTERNATIVES],
we [UNIQUE DIFFERENTIATOR].

## Target Audience

### Primary Persona
- **Name**: [Persona name]
- **Role**: [Job title/context]
- **Goals**: [What they want to achieve]
- **Pains**: [Current frustrations]
- **Technical**: [Skill level]

### Secondary Persona
[Similar structure]

## Core Features

### MVP Features (Must Have)
| Feature | Benefit | Priority |
|---------|---------|----------|
| [Name] | [Value] | P0 |

### Future Features (Nice to Have)
| Feature | Benefit | Priority |
|---------|---------|----------|
| [Name] | [Value] | P1/P2 |

## Success Metrics

### Leading Indicators
- [Metric]: [Target] by [Date]

### Lagging Indicators
- [Metric]: [Target] by [Date]

## Market Context

[If market research was conducted]

### Competitive Landscape
| Competitor | Strength | Weakness | Our Advantage |
|------------|----------|----------|---------------|

### Market Size
- TAM: [Total Addressable Market]
- SAM: [Serviceable Addressable Market]
- SOM: [Serviceable Obtainable Market]

## Out of Scope

[What we're explicitly NOT building]

## Risks & Mitigation

| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|--------|------------|
| [Risk] | [High/Med/Low] | [How to address] |

Key Principles

1. Start with Why

• Lead with the problem, not the solution
• Show evidence of the pain point
• Make the reader care

2. User-Centric Language

• Features are benefits, not specs
• Use "you" and "your"
• Avoid technical jargon

3. Be Specific

• "30% time savings" not "faster"
• "Small business owners" not "users"
• Concrete examples over abstractions

4. Action-Oriented

• Each section should inform decisions
• Include success metrics
• Define clear scope

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Feature Writing Guidelines

Good Feature Descriptions

## Smart Scheduling
Never miss a deadline. Our AI analyzes your workload and suggests
the optimal time to work on each task based on your energy patterns.

**Benefit**: Spend less time planning, more time doing.

Bad Feature Descriptions

## Smart Scheduling
Uses machine learning algorithms with TensorFlow to optimize task
scheduling based on historical data analysis and user behavior patterns.

[Too technical, no clear benefit]

Value Proposition Templates

For B2B SaaS

For [TARGET ROLE] at [COMPANY TYPE]
who struggle with [PAIN POINT],
[PRODUCT] is a [CATEGORY]
that [PRIMARY BENEFIT].
Unlike [COMPETITOR/ALTERNATIVE],
we [UNIQUE VALUE] because [REASON].

For Consumer Apps

[PRODUCT] helps [TARGET USER] [ACHIEVE GOAL]
by [HOW IT WORKS].

For Developer Tools

[PRODUCT]: [WHAT IT IS] that [KEY BENEFIT].
Stop [PAIN] and start [POSITIVE OUTCOME].

Integration with idea-research Plugin

If the idea-research plugin is installed, project.md can include:

• Market Validation: SWOT analysis, idea scoring
• Competitive Analysis: Competitor mapping, positioning
• Market Sizing: TAM/SAM/SOM calculations
• Trend Analysis: Timing assessment, growth drivers

Reference the idea-research agents for detailed market research.

References

For detailed templates and examples, see:

• references/documentation-patterns.md

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