Writing and Using Product Requirements
Writing and using product requirements involves creating a comprehensive description of the product's purpose, features, functionality, and success criteria. This often takes the form of a Product Requirements Document (PRD), although product requirements can be presented in various formats. A PRD serves as a source-of-truth for the development team, ensuring alignment on what is to be built and why.
The primary purpose of product requirements is not to dictate the exact solution to be built, but rather to define the constraints and requirements that any proposed solution must meet to effectively address the identified problem. While product requirements often include a suggested solution, the final decision on the most feasible and effective path forward is typically made through collaboration between the Product Manager, design team, and development team.
In essence, product requirements provide a clear, shared understanding of the problem to be solved and the key elements that a successful solution must incorporate. This clarity and alignment enables the team to work together efficiently and effectively towards a common goal.
Example
Imagine you're a Product Manager at a professional networking company, like LinkedIn. You've been tasked with improving the user experience of the job search feature on the platform. After conducting user research and data analysis, you've identified a few key areas of improvement: users find it difficult to filter job postings effectively, they want more personalized job recommendations, and they're interested in a feature that allows them to track their job application progress.
To address these user needs, you begin to write a Product Requirements Document (PRD). The PRD outlines the purpose, features, functionality, and behavior of the proposed improvements to the job search feature. For instance, for the personalized job recommendations feature, you specify that the system should consider the user's profile information, job search history, and interaction with previous job postings to generate recommendations. You also detail the user interface changes, such as adding a new "My Applications" tab where users can track their job applications.
The PRD also includes non-functional requirements, such as performance requirements (e.g., the job search results should load within 2 seconds), security requirements (e.g., user job search data should be encrypted), and accessibility requirements (e.g., the job search feature should be accessible to users with disabilities). The PRD will also include how this will help achieve the company’s objectives, address any possible risks, and outline any open questions or unknowns.
Once the PRD is complete, you share it with the engineering team for their input. They provide feedback on the technical feasibility of the proposed features and suggest modifications based on their expertise. After a few iterations, the PRD is finalized and serves as a guide for the development team as they begin to build the new features for the job search experience on LinkedIn.
Pain Points
Writing a PRD can be challenging as it requires a clear understanding of the user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints. It's also important to keep the PRD updated as requirements may change based on new insights or changes in the business environment. Furthermore, ensuring that the PRD is understood and followed by the development team can be a challenge, especially in a fast-paced development environment.
Practical Exercise
Think of a feature or product you want to develop. Try writing a PRD for it, outlining the purpose, features, functionality, and success criteria. Share it with a colleague or friend and ask for their feedback. How well does your PRD communicate what needs to be built and why?
Related Research Topics
Last updated