The Product Requirement Document (PRD) defines the value and purpose of the product. Product managers write PRD to describe what they are making, who it is for, and how it helps the customer. It is often tangled with the Market Requirement Document, but they are distinct. MRD should be created before PRD to document customer needs and requirements for their product or service before defining requirements. Their PRD should follow a top-down approach, starting with the overall vision they want to accomplish. It should then link product goals and initiatives to the functionality needed to accomplish that vision.
Product Requirement Document
The Product Requirement Document (PRD) will hold all that must be present in a single release to be admitted, complete with the guidance of the following files during the release process. Although PRDs can indicate a possible implementation to explain a use case, they cannot prescribe a particular implementation. Several people link product requirement documents with waterfall development methods. In the waterfall method, requirements are defined in the project’s initial phase and give a comprehensive explanation of what will be created.
What Is the Primary Purpose of PRD?
How Can a Product Requirement Document Help the Product Manager?
The Product Manager (PM) is an essential contributor to any working documentation, like a product requirement document, but that does not mean he needs to do it alone. A product manager should discover the best resources in his team to create various parts of the product requirement document. Using a designer to create wireframes and simulation drawings, hire a marketer to create user stories and characters. PM is accountable for maintaining the whole product requirements definition process. If this process is adequately maintained, product managers should use this document as a continuous reference for other stakeholders and as their resource throughout the process.
How Should a Product Development Team Use a PRD?
Product development teams are primarily affected by a product requirements document (PRD). They must be familiar with this document to view it frequently and collaborate and work effectively. PRD plays a vital role in the broader vision, product strategy, and product roadmap. Enabling good product management is one of the essential resources other than human resources. Different teams, including marketing, sales, business development, and support, need to browse templates and fully understand future developments and timelines. If all teams agree with this document, they can better plan and support each area as they prepare for a new product.
Verdict
The PRD is one of the essential files for teams that use traditional project management. However, more agile teams are beginning to see the importance of adding extra planning to their processes. It benefits the product manager in many ways. Agile development has moved organizations to a more adaptive planning approach in recent years, which means that demand is constantly added to the backlog and prioritized according to importance. PRD helps everyone align critical capabilities delivered in a new product or release, whether they follow the waterfall or agile approaches.