By Quick answer: What should a product requirements document include?
- Why first — problem, evidence, goals.
- Who — target users and their context.
- What — solution outline, requirements, scope line.
- How we'll know — success metrics and guardrails.
- Honesty — risks, open questions, decisions made.
Key takeaways
- A PRD's main job is shared understanding, not documentation for its own sake.
- Problem and goals should survive even if the solution changes.
- Engineers and designers should co-write the solution sections.
- A decision log prevents re-litigating settled questions.
- Shorter PRDs get read; long ones get skimmed.
Most PRDs fail in one of two ways. Some are thirty pages nobody reads. Others are a list of features with no explanation of why. Both leave the team guessing. A useful PRD is a short argument: here is a problem worth solving, here is the evidence, here is what success looks like, and here is our best current idea for solving it — open for the team to improve.
The full template
1. Summary
Two or three sentences: problem, who it affects, what we propose and the expected outcome.
2. Problem and evidence
What's happening, for whom, how we know (research, data, support tickets), and why now.
3. Goals and non-goals
What we want to achieve — and what we're deliberately not trying to do.
4. Success metrics
The target metric, how it's measured, the target, and guardrails3.
5. Users and context
Who this is for, their situation, devices, language and constraints.
6. Solution outline
The approach, key flows and links to designs. Co-written with design and engineering.
7. Requirements
User stories or requirements with acceptance criteria, prioritised (must / should / could).
8. Scope
In for this release; out of scope; later.
9. Risks and open questions
Technical, legal, user and business risks; questions with owners.
10. Launch and measurement plan
Rollout, experiment design, analytics events, support readiness.
11. Decision log
Date, decision, rationale, who decided.
Atlassian's guide to requirements documents reflects the same principles of keeping PRDs purpose-driven and collaborative1.
The one-page version
| Section | One-pager prompt |
|---|---|
| Problem | What's broken, for whom, and the evidence |
| Goal | The outcome and metric we'll move |
| Solution | Our current approach in a few bullets, with a design link |
| Scope | In, out, later |
| Risks | The top two or three |
| Decision | What we need decided, by whom, by when |
Writing tips
- Lead with the problem; the solution may change, the problem shouldn't
- Show evidence — quotes, numbers, screenshots
- Write non-goals to prevent scope creep
- Link, don't duplicate — designs, research, tech specs
- Invite edits — engineers and designers co-own the solution sections
- Keep a decision log so settled questions stay settled
Empowered product teams are given problems to solve, not features to build — the PRD is where you frame the problem well2.
PRD vs app requirements document
If you're briefing an outside agency for a quote, you need more detail on scope and acceptance criteria — see the app requirements document. Inside a product team, a lighter PRD that leaves room for discovery works better. PRDs usually flow from items on your roadmap.
Key terms, defined
PRD — product requirements document. Non-goal — something explicitly out of scope for this effort. Acceptance criteria — conditions that define done. Decision log — a record of decisions and their reasons. Guardrail metric — a metric that must not worsen.
Frequently asked questions
What is a PRD?
A product requirements document describes the problem a product or feature solves, who it's for, what success looks like, and the requirements for the solution, so the whole team shares the same understanding.
How long should a PRD be?
As short as possible: a one-pager for small features, a few pages for major initiatives. Link to designs, research and technical specs rather than duplicating them.
Who writes the PRD?
The product manager usually owns it, but the best PRDs are written collaboratively, with designers and engineers contributing to the solution, risks and technical notes.
What's the difference between a PRD and a technical spec?
The PRD covers the problem, users, goals and requirements. A technical design document, written by engineers, covers how the system will be built.
Do agile teams still need PRDs?
Many do, in lighter forms. A short PRD or one-pager keeps the why and success criteria clear, while user stories and tickets handle the detail sprint by sprint.
Can AI help write PRDs?
AI can draft structure, summarise research and suggest edge cases, but the problem framing, evidence and decisions must come from the team. Review AI drafts critically.
Sources
- Atlassian — Product requirements documents
- Marty Cagan, SVPG — Product vs feature teams
- Amplitude — The North Star Playbook
- Checked October 23, 2026. Figures that change — fees, salaries, prices — are reviewed every six months; if something is out of date, tell us.
Where to go from here
- App requirements document — the version for briefing an agency
- Product roadmap template — where PRDs come from
- Career guidesHow to write product requirements and PRDs in 2027: problem and goals, scope and non-goals, requirements and acceptance criteria, success metrics and living documentsHow to write product requirements and PRDs in 2027: problem, goals, scope, non-goals, requirements, acceptance criteria, success metrics and keeping docs alive.
- How to make an appHow to write an app requirements document developers can actually build fromWrite an app requirements document that gets accurate quotes: goals, users, user stories, acceptance criteria, scope and a free copy-paste template.
- Product managementProduct manager resume: examples, bullet formulas and a template that gets interviewsWrite a product manager resume that gets interviews: an outcome-first bullet formula, before-and-after examples, a one-page template and tips.
- Startups in IndiaBusiness plan template for an app startup: ten sections, what to write in each, and a one-page versionA business plan template for app startups: ten sections with prompts for each, a one-page lean version, and the financial basics investors and banks expect.
- UI/UX designUX case study template: the structure, an example, and how to tell the storyA UX case study template with a worked example: TL;DR, problem, constraints, research, options, decisions, testing, outcome and reflection.
- Career guidesAI skills for product managers in 2027: AI in discovery, specs and analysis — plus judgement about where AI belongs in your productAI skills product managers need in 2027: AI in discovery, specs, analysis and prioritisation, judging AI features, model choice and unit economics.
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