Creating a PRD for a Mobile Food Delivery App: From a First-time Team Lead's POV

What prompted me to volunteer to be the lead for a product management team? That’s a question for another day.

However, let’s focus on our first task of the program- creating a Product Requirement Document for a mobile food delivery app.

As the team lead, I had to prep so I watched a couple of videos and read a few articles on product requirements documentation. With the help of my assistant team lead, we were able to reach our goal.

This article is a short report on how we achieved our task, my role in this, as well as the challenges we encountered along the way.

Understanding the Task

Upon assuming the role of team lead, I first sought to clarify the overall project goals. There’s always much talk about assigning roles to team members based on their strengths but how do you do that with people you just “met” less than 12 hours ago?

Well, introductions were done with everyone on the team highlighting their level of expertise. This was what helped with assignment of tasks.

My role required me not only to contribute to the PRD but also to ensure that the team worked cohesively and met deadlines. I facilitated several discussions to break down the scope of the project and determine how to divide responsibilities for researching, drafting, and reviewing the PRD.

Planning and Approach

As the lead, my first step was to develop a structured plan:

1. Task Delegation: I assigned team members to different areas of the PRD based on their expertise, such as user research, competitive analysis, and technical requirements.

2. Timeline Management: I created a project timeline with clear milestones to keep the team on track.

3. Collaboration Tools: I ensured that we used shared platforms such as Google Docs for document collaboration and Miro for ideas and features brainstorming.

With the help of our regular meetings, we were able to check on progress, provide feedback, and resolve any issues that arose. My focus was on maintaining clear communication and aligning the team’s work with our project objectives.

Research and Information Gathering

Two of my team members organized user research and competitive analysis. This enabled us to examine existing platforms like Glovo and Chowdeck, identifying their strengths and areas for improvement.

Based on this research, we identified major key insights:

• Users value real-time tracking and accurate delivery estimates.

• Users appreciate an easily-reachable customer support team

• There is a growing demand for customizable dietary options and eco-friendly packaging.

Writing the Product Requirement Document

Special shoutout to Unique, my assistant who brought in her expertise in structuring the PRD, ensuring it was cohesive and met the project’s objectives. We worked closely alongside Faith, a team member to craft user stories that clearly reflected our research.

One of the sessions I particularly enjoyed was when the team brainstormed on ideas and features. It was great experience just having everyone drop notes on Miro.

Challenges and Solutions

One of the significant challenges we faced was finding time to work together as a team especially with our already busy schedules. However, we were able to make it work by having daily night meetings.

Another challenge involved ensuring that everyone’s voice was heard in the decision-making process. As team lead, I had to mediate discussions, especially when there were differing opinions on feature inclusion. By fostering open communication and encouraging team collaboration, we were able to find a common ground and move forward.

Lessons Learned

Leading the team in creating the PRD was a highly valuable experience. I learned the importance of balancing leadership with collaboration, ensuring that while I guided the team, everyone had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully. I also learned the importance of assigning tasks and ensuring everyone is carried along.

Last but not least was the importance of time management. We almost missed the deadline for submission because I didn’t plan ahead and allocate tasks on time. However, we were able to deliver just in time still maintaining quality.

Conclusion

As the team lead, I successfully guided my team in the creation of a comprehensive Product Requirement Document for the mobile food delivery app, FoodHub. We developed a clear vision for the app, defined user stories, and outlined the features, all while maintaining strong collaboration.

I look forward to developing more PRDs in the future and collaborating with other product managers to create user-centric products.