Product Requirements Document (PRD)

A Product Requirements Document is the primary specification artifact that communicates what to build and why. It bridges the gap between problem understanding and engineering implementation by providing clear requirements, success criteria, and scope boundaries. A good PRD enables engineering to build the right thing while maintaining flexibility on implementation details.

When to Use

• After problem and solution alignment, before engineering work begins
• When specifying features, epics, or product initiatives for handoff
• When multiple teams need to coordinate on a shared deliverable
• When stakeholders need to approve scope before investment
• As reference documentation during development and QA

When NOT to Use

• The problem is still unframed or contested -> use define-problem-statement first; a PRD assumes an agreed problem
• You need a one-page pitch to align stakeholders on an approach -> use develop-solution-brief; the PRD comes after that alignment
• You only need the work broken into tickets for a sprint -> use deliver-user-stories
• You are recording a technical or architectural decision -> use develop-adr