Product Requirements Document: A Step-by-Step Guide

What is PRD

A PRD (Product Requirement Document) is an essential document used in many large-scale projects to improve clarity during the development of software or apps. It is the first step done before actually start coding for project

PRDs are helpful for dividing work with employees or team members, gives a rough timeline on completion time of projects and helps a individual to get clarity with required features, extra add ons, and later to be executed ideas for project.

PRD can be made on paper or code editor also, for code editor use markdown format, also always PRD are not very formal.

🧭 Rough Flow of PRD

• 🎯 Objective

  Helps with determining main aim/goal of building project

• 📌 Scope

  To what extent features should be added according to user needs

  Also, note which features are beyond the scope and should not be included

• 🧰 Features & Requirement

  p1 - Must have features

  p2 - Features to added for later version of app

  Describe the use case for each feature we are adding, and briefly explain all the features that will be used.

  Consider the requirements of both the client and the user.

• 👤 User Stories / Use Cases

  What can be actual use case of user with this project, so that we can provide best value of our work

  Thing of what can user be willing to do with this project and noting it down

• 💻 Technical requirements

  Technologies, Languages, Stacks used for making project

• 🎨 Design Requirements

  This can be as vast as you want

  Includes theme of project, logo, color combination to be used font etc etc

• 📈 Success Matrix

  Success Matrix is used to define and measure what success looks like for the product or feature being developed. It provides clear, quantifiable goals that help us to keep track of.

  All me goal’s matrix are kept in percentage for better tracking

  Ex conversion rate, sign ups percentage, User satisfaction etc.

• ⏳ Timeline

  Includes appox end date of project, also includes timeline for sub important parts of project

  Ex End date of landing page design, end date of logo design etc.

Lets make PRD for a Salon Shop 💇‍♂️

📝PRD

• Objective

  Basic website to make people aware about brand, helps to make digital presence, convenient for book online appointments

• Scope

  Basic website, a good landing page, features less information and accessibility more

  No fancy design or text, simple minimalist logo , no heavy AI stuff.

• Features and Requirement

  → Online appointment booking

  → Login sign up page for recurrent user to access their plan

  → History page for old users

  → Charges according to personalization shown online

  → Menu of services provided

  → About us section for all new users

  → All social media handles, all upcoming and ongoing offer list to be displayed at home screen

  → Testimonials page

  → Payment gateway

  → About different branches (location GPS & contact no) and franchise ownership details(if present)

• User Stories / User cases

  → A person at home should be able to book appointment for future program, no requirement of contact to person,

  → Combos depending on season and function can be available making it cheap and helpful to both client and user

• Technical Requirement

  → Frontend Tech requirement includes basic HTML,CSS, JS and some level of React, also for Css Bootstrap or Tailwind

  → Backend Tech - Node.js + Express.js

  → For Database MongoDB

  → Razorpay

• Design Requirements

  Light theme color combination approach, eye catching logo and smooth experience with homepage adding testimonials of old users

  more design stuff can be added by designer designing this website

• Success Matrix

  Basic of success matrix can be

  → avg pages checked by user

  → daily and monthly users

  → no of bookings

  → viewers and booking conversion rate etc

• Timeline

  Timeline includes project completion time ,say 4 months

  Other division like

  → Frontend completion - 2months

  → Backend completion - 1month

  → Buffer - 1month