Feature Specification Document Template for Product Managers
Specification Documents are an essential piece in the role of a Product Manager. They are the transformation of ideas into tangible features, supported by background, evidence and data with a clear path towards implementation and success metrics.
In the world of agile, these documents need to be straightforward, but contain all necessary information about its context and roadmap. It is usually a document ready to be commented and give full transparency about what is going to happen to a product and when it should be happening.
> Download the Feature Specification Document Outline
Feature Specification: Feature XXXXXXX
Background
Use this section to dig deeper in the context and need of such feature. Include all sort of data, research and analysis you have performed to reach the conclusion this is a feature worth implementing and aligned with business objectives.
Feature Purpose
You need to answer two key questions, which I strongly recommend you do with bullet points:
- Who is it for?
- Why build it?
Competitors
What is competition doing? Research and enumerate clearly what is happening in the market and what are the main competitive differences with the feature you are proposing.
Design
- To start, include a Value Proposition diagram, which clearly states the User segment, their needs and the feature offering.
- User stories: from the Value Proposition, extract and write the required User Stories.
- Mockups: include low-fidelity mockups of how your feature should look like and should be placed within your product.
Architecture
Briefly describe and include a diagram of how your feature interacts with the rest of elements of your product. How data flows between entities and it produces the output the user expects. Also, take into account critical considerations like scalability or accessibility.
Scope, Planning and Release
Define the scope of your feature by focusing on specific User Stories you have defined. Then, break them into tasks and assign resources to them:
Planning
Include a Gantt chart that show how these Tasks will be implemented in time, using the time estimations you had written previously. Finally, give a release date and plan or the amount of sprints that this feature needs to be completed.
Metrics
Use bullet points to define the key metrics that define success in your feature. Make sure they can be tracked and comply with business objectives as well.
