prd-standards

name	prd-standards
description	BMAD PRD methodology, quality standards, and reference data for creating, validating, and editing Product Requirements Documents. Use when: working with PRDs, checking PRD quality standards, understanding BMAD methodology.

BMAD PRD Standards

Philosophy: Dual-Audience Documents

A BMAD PRD serves two audiences simultaneously:

1. Human stakeholders - Product managers, executives, and builders who need vision, strategy, and clear communication
2. LLM downstream consumers - AI agents handling UX design, architecture, epic breakdown, and development

The PRD is the top of the funnel feeding all subsequent product development work. Quality here ripples through every phase.

Core Quality Standards

Information Density

Every sentence must carry information weight. Eliminate filler, padding, and verbose patterns.

• "The system will allow users to..." becomes "Users can..."
• "In order to..." becomes "To..."
• Zero fluff. Maximum information per word.

SMART Requirements

All functional and non-functional requirements must be:

• Specific - Clear, precisely defined capability
• Measurable - Quantifiable with test criteria
• Attainable - Realistic within constraints
• Relevant - Aligned with business objectives
• Traceable - Links to source (executive summary, user journey, or business need)

Traceability Chain

The PRD establishes the chain that all downstream artifacts depend on:

Vision -> Success Criteria -> User Journeys -> Functional Requirements -> (future: User Stories)

Every requirement must trace back to documented user needs and business objectives.

What Makes a Good PRD

Functional Requirements (FRs)

• Describe capabilities, not implementation details
• Include measurable test criteria
• Avoid subjective adjectives ("easy", "fast", "intuitive")
• Avoid implementation leakage (no technology names or library references)
• Use specific quantifiers, not vague ones ("up to 100 users" not "multiple users")

Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs)

• Must be measurable: "The system shall [metric] [condition] [measurement method]"
• Include percentile targets and measurement approach
• Avoid unmeasurable claims ("scalable", "high availability" without metrics)

Required Document Sections

1. Executive Summary - Vision, differentiator, target users
2. Success Criteria - Measurable outcomes (SMART)
3. Product Scope - MVP, Growth, Vision phases
4. User Journeys - Comprehensive coverage
5. Domain Requirements - Industry-specific compliance (if applicable)
6. Innovation Analysis - Competitive differentiation (if applicable)
7. Project-Type Requirements - Platform-specific needs
8. Functional Requirements - Capability contract
9. Non-Functional Requirements - Quality attributes

Formatting for Dual Consumption

• Use ## Level 2 headers for main sections (enables LLM extraction)
• Consistent structure and patterns throughout
• Precise, testable language for AI consumption
• Clear, professional language for human review

Anti-Patterns to Detect and Fix

• Subjective adjectives without metrics
• Implementation details leaking into requirements
• Vague quantifiers ("several", "various", "multiple")
• Missing test criteria on requirements
• Requirements not traceable to user needs
• Missing domain-specific compliance requirements

Reference Data

For detailed methodology and rationale, see:

• prd-purpose.md - Full BMAD PRD methodology, anti-pattern examples, and downstream impact analysis

For project classification and domain-specific requirements, see:

• project-types.csv - Project type detection signals, key questions, required/skip sections, and innovation signals
• domain-complexity.csv - Domain complexity levels, compliance concerns, required knowledge, and special sections