5 Tips from Our Product Experts on How to Write a PRD
Our product experts were asked to provide the best piece of PRD writing advice they’ve ever received. The results have exceeded our expectations, and we’re sharing this goldmine of knowledge with you to help you improve your PRD game and career.
Are you ready to learn from real product managers? Let’s get started!
Tip 1: Don’t jump to conclusions
The best advice I’ve ever received is to always question your assumptions because doing so will help you start thinking — Vivek Thota
It is entirely possible that what you assumed during the early stages of development will not be valid for all users. Even if they are supported by historical data, some of your assumptions will be incorrect, which is why you must validate your key hypotheses and assumptions as soon as possible. Try to find answers to the following questions: What exactly is the problem? Is my solution the most effective way to solve that problem? Is this solution feasible, and what effect will it have on the rest of my product?
Tip 2: Collaboration is the key
Never ever write a PRD by yourself. By sharing the document with your team and the appropriate stakeholders, you can get valuable input — Swati Chopra
Getting early and frequent feedback from your team and relevant stakeholders is the most basic but crucial step in the PRD drafting process. Multiple rounds of review guarantee that all concerns have been addressed and that the document is as comprehensive as possible.
Tip 3: Make it crisp, make it interesting
My go-to advice for newer product owners is to avoid stuffing their PRD with unnecessary information — Prabhat Singh
Instead of writing about how to do something, PRDs should be about what exactly needs to be done. Make sure your content is easy to skim by highlighting the essential aspects of why and what we are building. Allow the ‘goal’ to be your primary motivator, and try to summarise your PRD around it in as few words as possible. However, do not give up anything important to fit your PRD onto a page.
Tip 4: Act civil, follow a template
When your company uses a template to write PRDs, you know you’re in excellent hands. Always use a standard template to ensure you don’t overlook anything crucial — Abhinav Singh
Templates allow you to concentrate on the big picture, visually organize your thoughts, and collaborate with your team. It is essential for maintaining quality and consistency throughout the PRD, as well as outlining various modules in detail. Consider a template as a guide rather than a hard and fast rule. It’s okay to add your inputs where you believe they’re needed.
Tip 5: Define what’s not in scope
Avoid unnecessary expectations and last-minute modifications by explicitly defining the product scope in your PRDs. — Shashank Mittal
A well-defined scope assists in keeping engineering and business stakeholders on the same page. By establishing clear expectations for the final outcome, you as a product owner can better manage deadlines by avoiding constantly changing requirements.
Written By — Richa Upadhyay
