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

Scenario	Input	Expected Behavior	Priority
Empty state	No data returned	Show empty state UI with CTA	P0
Network error	API timeout > 5s	Show retry toast, do not lose data	P0
Concurrent edit	Two users edit same record	Last-write-wins with timestamp	P1
Invalid characters	SQL injection attempt	Sanitize input, reject gracefully	P0
Max payload	File > 10MB upload	Show size limit error before upload	P1
Session expired	Token expires mid-flow	Redirect to login, preserve intent	P0

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

Status	Meaning
Draft	Author working, not ready for review
In Review	Circulating to stakeholders
Revision Needed	Feedback received, author updating
Approved	All required sign-offs obtained
In Progress	Engineering actively building
Shipped	Feature live in production
Deprecated	Feature killed or superseded

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]