PRD Template — Section by Section
Each section includes what to include, why it matters, and a concrete example. Adapt the depth to your project — learn more about PRD best practices.
Overview
The header that identifies the document. Keep it simple — the goal is findability and version tracking.
Include
- •Product name
- •Author & date
- •Version
- •Status (Draft / In Review / Approved)
Example
Product: Acme Notifications v2 | Author: Jane PM | Status: In Review | Last updated: Feb 2026
Problem Statement
The most important section. Clearly articulate the pain point you're solving and why it matters to the business. If you can't explain the problem in 3 sentences, you're not ready to write the PRD.
Include
- •User problem
- •Business impact
- •Current workarounds
Example
Users miss critical notifications because the current system has no priority levels. Support tickets about missed alerts increased 40% last quarter. Users work around this by setting up external email filters.
Goals & Success Metrics
Define what success looks like with 2-4 measurable KPIs. Be specific — "improve engagement" is useless; "increase notification open rate from 12% to 30% within 90 days" is actionable.
Include
- •Primary goal
- •Secondary goals
- •KPIs with targets
- •Measurement method
Example
Goal: Reduce missed critical notifications by 60%. KPIs: notification open rate > 30%, support tickets about missed alerts < 5/week, user satisfaction score > 4.2/5.
User Personas
2-3 personas maximum. Each should represent a distinct user type with different needs. Include enough context that engineers can empathize with the user, but don't write a biography.
Include
- •Persona name & role
- •Goals
- •Pain points
- •Key scenarios
Example
"Ops Lead Oliver" — Manages a 15-person team. Needs to be alerted immediately when production incidents occur. Currently checks Slack every 10 minutes because he doesn't trust the notification system.
Functional Requirements
The core of your PRD. List every feature the product must support. Use "The user can..." or "The system shall..." format. Group related requirements and prioritize them (Must have / Should have / Nice to have).
Include
- •Feature descriptions
- •User flows
- •Business rules
- •Edge cases
Example
Must have: The user can set notification priority (Critical, Normal, Low). The system shall deliver Critical notifications via push + email within 30 seconds. Should have: The user can configure quiet hours per priority level.
Non-Functional Requirements
Requirements that aren't features but constrain how features work. These often drive architecture decisions, so stating them early saves rework.
Include
- •Performance targets
- •Security
- •Accessibility
- •Scalability
Example
Notification delivery latency < 500ms (p99). System must support 10K concurrent users. All notification content encrypted at rest. WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
Scope & Out-of-Scope
Explicitly list what you are NOT building. This is the most effective tool against scope creep. When stakeholders ask for additions, point them here.
Include
- •In scope (this release)
- •Out of scope
- •Future considerations
Example
In scope: Priority levels, delivery preferences, quiet hours. Out of scope: Notification analytics dashboard (planned for v3), SMS delivery channel, third-party integrations.
Design & Wireframes
Link to or embed wireframes for the key screens. You don't need pixel-perfect designs — rough flows that show the user journey are enough at this stage.
Include
- •User flow diagrams
- •Key screen mockups
- •Interaction notes
Example
Key flow: Settings > Notification Preferences > Priority configuration > Save > Confirmation toast.
Timeline & Milestones
High-level delivery phases. Not a sprint plan — just enough to set expectations and surface dependencies early.
Include
- •Phases with dates
- •Dependencies
- •Key milestones
Example
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-3): Priority system backend + API. Phase 2 (Weeks 4-5): Notification preferences UI. Phase 3 (Week 6): QA + staged rollout. Dependency: Design team delivers wireframes by Week 1.
Open Questions & Risks
Be honest about what you don't know yet. Listing open questions invites collaboration and prevents surprises later. Update this section as questions get resolved.
Include
- •Unresolved decisions
- •Technical risks
- •Dependencies on other teams
Example
Open: Should we support SMS as a delivery channel in v2? (Pending cost analysis.) Risk: Push notification delivery depends on third-party service reliability. Dependency: Auth team must ship new permissions model before Week 2.