What is a Product Requirements Document (PRD)?

A product requirements document (PRD) is a detailed outline that defines the purpose, features, functionalities, and behavior of a product or feature. Generally speaking, a PRD shouldn’t define how the product will achieve the goal to give designers, engineers, and other contributors more freedom in developing a solution.

Why write a product requirements document?

A well-written PRD can achieve several key objectives:

• Aligns the team around a shared vision for the product
• Clarifies exactly what will be built
• Provides a reference for planning and prioritization
• Serves as a guide for design, development, and testing
• Helps manage stakeholder expectations
• Acts as a benchmark to measure success

A product requirements document is more commonly found in organizations taking a waterfall approach to product development and management. However, agile companies can still use PRDs; the documents typically go through more changes during development. For projects with fixed requirements, firm deadlines, or in highly regulated industries, a comprehensive PRD ensures stakeholders are aligned before development begins.

Writing a comprehensive PRD can be time-consuming, but it's a critical step for any product development effort. You can streamline the process with Type, an AI-powered document editor. Upload any existing documentation and let the AI help flesh out your PRD.

What to include in a (good) PRD

An effective PRD should paint a clear picture of the end product and what it will take to get there. Key elements include:

Product vision and scope

‍Describe the product vision.

What is the overarching purpose of this product or feature? How does it align with company goals and user needs? Articulating a clear, inspiring vision gets everyone on the same page.

Define what's in and out of scope.

Specify exactly what the product or feature will and will not do. Setting these boundaries upfront prevents scope creep later on. Be specific about what's required for launch vs. nice-to-haves.

Detail assumptions and constraints.

What assumptions are you making about users, technology, or the market? Are there any technical, financial, legal or other constraints to consider? Surfacing these early allows for better planning.

User stories and requirements

Document user personas.

Who are the target users for this product? What are their needs, goals, and pain points? Developing detailed user personas keeps the team focused on solving real user problems.

Outline user stories and flows.

Break down the user journey into discrete user stories and flows. Describe the steps a user will take to complete each task. This exercise often uncovers new requirements and edge cases.

Prioritize and specify requirements.

Translate user stories into specific, actionable requirements. Assign a priority level to each one, and provide acceptance criteria that define when a requirement is considered complete.

Technical considerations

Identify technical requirements.

What technical capabilities will be needed to bring this product to life? Think through things like hosting, data management, security, performance, scalability, and maintenance.

Highlight dependencies and risks.

Are there any technical dependencies or integration points with other systems? What are the biggest technical risks or unknowns? Flagging these allows the team to develop mitigation plans.

How to write a PRD in 5 steps

1. Gather inputs and align on vision

Start by collecting all the inputs you'll need - user research, competitive analysis, business requirements, technical constraints, etc. Align with stakeholders on the high-level product vision and get buy-in on the approach.

Type can help you gather and synthesize all the background information for your PRD. When generating your document, you can link to or upload any existing research, specs or other documentation to automatically pull in relevant details. It's a great way to consolidate information from multiple sources.

2. Define user stories and requirements

Develop user personas based on your research. Document the key user stories you're trying to enable and the user flows you envision. Translate these into specific, prioritized requirements.

Type offers user story and requirement templates you can leverage to ensure you capture all the necessary details. The AI can also suggest additional requirements you may not have considered based on the product description.

3. Specify non-functional requirements

In addition to functional requirements, outline the non-functional requirements that will define the user experience - things like usability, reliability, performance, security, etc. Provide benchmarks where possible.

You can use Type to ensure your non-functional requirements are clear and measurable. The AI will detect vague or subjective language and suggest ways to quantify the requirements.

4. Detail technical approach

Work with engineering to define the high-level technical architecture and approach. Document technical requirements, system diagrams, API specs, and any constraints or dependencies. Highlight risks and unknowns.

Type can help you quickly create architecture diagrams and technical specs. Just describe the components and connections in plain language and let the AI generate a diagram for you. It's an easy way to visualize complex systems.

5. Review and iterate

Share a draft of the PRD with stakeholders for feedback. Incorporate suggestions and iterate until you have alignment. Make sure to keep the PRD updated as requirements evolve over the course of the project.

Type makes it easy to collaborate on a PRD. You can share the document, make inline comments, and see revision history. The AI can also help summarize and incorporate feedback.

Example

Start closer to "done" with Type's template library. Select our “Product requirements document (PRD)” template when generating your document and include any relevant background information to customize the output. Take the pain out of writing PRDs.

Components

Here are some components you can include in your product requirements document:

Header

The top of a PRD typically contains an overview of the project’s organizational and logistical information. This can include items such as:

• Product name
• Teams, team members, and contributors involved
• Document owner, usually a product manager, responsible for keeping the PRD updated
• Release date, timelines, and timing

Background

This section briefly summarizes context and helps get teammates on the same page.

• Competitive landscape, research
• Assumptions and risks
• Current state 

Problem

This section discusses the problem, its impact, and why it’s important.

• Problem summary
• Hypothesis
• Reasoning for change

Solution

This portion of the PRD defines success.

• Goals, objectives, and release criteria
• Scope, out-of-scope
• User stories
• Assumptions, risks, constraints
• Functional and non-functional requirements, nice-to-haves
• Usability requirements

Appendix

This final portion includes reference material, links, and other resources that may be helpful in developing a product.

• Figma/design links to mockups and prototypes
• Metrics, such as key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Overall timeline
• Follow-up tasks
• Key decisions and open issues

FAQs

Who is responsible for writing a PRD?

Typically, the product manager is responsible for writing the PRD, with input from cross-functional stakeholders. The product manager should work closely with engineering, design, user research, marketing, sales, customer support, legal, and other teams to ensure the PRD captures all relevant requirements and constraints.

Type can streamline collaboration on a PRD. Stakeholders can leave comments, suggest edits, and provide feedback directly in the document. The AI can also help reconcile conflicting opinions and find consensus.

At what stage should you write a PRD?

The PRD is typically written after initial user research and product discovery but before design and development begin. It's important to have a solid understanding of user needs and business goals before defining detailed requirements.

That said, the PRD should be treated as a living document. As you learn more through user testing, market changes, or technical discoveries, update the PRD to reflect the latest thinking. The PRD should always represent the most current, accurate view of what you plan to build.

Type makes it easy to keep your PRD up-to-date. When new information comes in, you can ask the AI to help incorporate it into the relevant sections of the document.

How do you prioritize requirements in a PRD?

There are many techniques for prioritizing requirements, but a common approach is to score each requirement on two dimensions: user value and implementation complexity. Requirements that provide high user value and are relatively easy to implement should be prioritized over those that provide less value or are more complex to build.

It's also important to differentiate must-haves from nice-to-haves. Must-haves are non-negotiable - if you don't build them, the product won't meet its core objectives. Nice-to-haves are things you'd like to include but could potentially cut or defer if needed.

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