ring-writing-prds

name

ring:writing-prds

description

Writing a Product Requirements Document that explains to the squad WHAT is being built and WHY: problem, explicit scope in/out, functional requirements, and testable acceptance criteria. Gate 1 of ring:using-pm-team; runs after ring:researching-features and stays technology-free (no architecture, frameworks, or schemas). Use when starting a new feature or asked to plan or produce requirements. Skip when a validated PRD exists, for pure technical changes, or bug fixes.

PRD Creation — WHAT and WHY Before HOW

When to use

• Starting new product or major feature
• User asks to "plan", "design", or "architect"
• About to write code without documented requirements
• Asked to create PRD or requirements document

Skip when

• PRD already exists and validated → proceed to next gate
• Pure technical task without product impact → TRD directly
• Bug fix → systematic-debugging

Sequence

Runs after: ring:researching-features (Gate 0) Runs before: ring:mapping-feature-relationships (Gate 2, Large track) or ring:writing-trds (Gate 2, Small track)

The PRD is a squad-facing explanation of the product/feature being built: what it does, why it exists, what is in and out of scope, and how the squad knows it's done. It never answers HOW to build it (that's TRD) or WHERE components will live.

Mandatory Workflow

Phase	Activities
0. Load Research	Check docs/pre-dev/{feature}/research.md; reference codebase patterns and findings with file:line notation
1. Problem Definition	State the problem without solution bias; explain why it matters now; cite evidence from research.md