| name | create-prd |
| description | Create a Product Requirements Document (PRD) from recent discussions, conversations, or accumulated context. Use when the user wants to formalize requirements, document what was discussed, or create a spec to guide implementation. Do NOT use for technical implementation specs (use SPEC.md from project-files) or for already-implemented features (use CHANGELOG.md).
|
Create PRD
Create a formal Product Requirements Document that captures what was discussed and what needs to be built. A PRD bridges conversation and implementation — it's the single source of truth for what the product or feature should do.
When to Use
- After a long discussion about a feature (user says "write this up" or "create a PRD")
- Before starting a major implementation effort
- When the user wants to align stakeholders or get sign-off
- As input to
prd-to-tasks for task breakdown
- To capture decisions made during
grill-me sessions
When NOT to Use
- For technical design specs (use SPEC.md from
project-files)
- For documenting already-built features (use CHANGELOG.md)
- For small, self-contained tasks with no ambiguity
- When the user just wants a quick summary (give a summary, not a PRD)
Prerequisites
- Recent conversation context or notes from a
grill-me session
- Understanding of the problem space
- Access to relevant codebase for context (if applicable)
PRD Format
Use this exact template. Fill in all sections that apply. Delete sections that don't.
# PRD: [Feature/Product Name]
**Status:** Draft | Review | Approved
**Created:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Author:** AI Agent (from discussion with [user])
**Version:** 1.0
---
## Executive Summary
2-3 sentences. What are we building and why? Anyone should understand this.
---
## Problem Statement
What problem does this solve? Who has this problem? How do they solve it today
(if at all)? Include specific pain points.
---
## Goals
- **Goal 1:** What we WILL achieve
- **Goal 2:** ...
---
## Non-Goals
- **Non-Goal 1:** What we explicitly will NOT do (scope boundaries)
- **Non-Goal 2:** ...
---
## User Stories
Format: "As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit]."
### Must Have (P0)
- As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
- As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
### Should Have (P1)
- As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
### Nice to Have (P2)
- As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
---
## Functional Requirements
### FR-1: [Feature Area]
- System must [behavior]
- System must [behavior]
- Edge case: [what happens when...]
### FR-2: [Feature Area]
- ...
---
## Non-Functional Requirements
| Category | Requirement | Target |
|----------------|------------------------------------------|-----------------|
| Performance | [e.g., API response time] | < 200ms p95 |
| Security | [e.g., auth mechanism] | JWT + HTTPS |
| Accessibility | [e.g., WCAG level] | AA |
| Reliability | [e.g., uptime] | 99.9% |
| Scalability | [e.g., concurrent users] | 1000 CCU |
---
## Constraints
- **Technical:** Must use [stack/technology]. Must integrate with [system].
- **Timeline:** Needs to ship by [date] or fits into [release].
- **Budget:** [If applicable]
- **Team:** [If known]
---
## Dependencies
- **External:** [Third-party API, service, library]
- **Internal:** [Other team, module, or feature that must be ready first]
---
## Open Questions
- [ ] Question 1 — who can answer this?
- [ ] Question 2 — must resolve before implementation starts
- [ ] Question 3 — can defer to later phase
---
## Success Metrics
How will we know this is successful?
- **Metric 1:** [e.g., 80% of users complete onboarding]
- **Metric 2:** [e.g., support tickets for auth drop by 50%]
- **Metric 3:** [e.g., page load time under 1.5s]
---
## Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Impact | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------|------------------------------------|
| [What could go wrong] | High | Medium | [How we'll prevent or handle it] |
| [What could go wrong] | Medium | Low | [How we'll prevent or handle it] |
---
## Appendix
### References
- [Link to design mockup]
- [Link to technical spec]
- [Link to relevant discussion/issue]
### Glossary
- **Term:** Definition
Workflow
1. Gather Context
Review the recent conversation. Identify:
- What problem is being solved?
- What did the user explicitly ask for?
- What constraints or preferences did they mention?
- What did they explicitly say NOT to do?
If context is thin, use grill-me to fill gaps before creating the PRD.
2. Draft the PRD
Write the PRD following the template above. Prioritize:
- Executive Summary + Problem Statement — Most important for alignment
- Goals + Non-Goals — Scope boundaries prevent scope creep
- User Stories — The core of what we're building
- Functional Requirements — Derived from user stories
- Everything else as applicable
3. Fill Gaps with Sensible Defaults
For sections the user hasn't addressed, apply reasonable defaults and mark them clearly:
## Non-Functional Requirements
_Not discussed. Assuming standard web app defaults:_
| Category | Requirement | Target |
|-------------|----------------------|------------|
| Performance | API response time | < 500ms |
| Security | Authentication | JWT |
4. Mark Open Questions
Any assumption that might be wrong goes in Open Questions:
## Open Questions
- [ ] Should this support offline mode? (assumed NO)
- [ ] Preferred auth provider? (assumed custom JWT)
5. Present for Review
Present the PRD and ask the user to review:
Here's the PRD for [feature]. Key decisions:
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]
- [Decision 3]
Open questions I still have:
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]
Does this look right? Anything to add or change?
6. Iterate
Update the PRD based on feedback. Increment version on each significant revision.
File Naming
Write the PRD to a file named after the feature:
PRD-<feature-name>.md
PRD-user-authentication.md
PRD-search-functionality.md
PRD-admin-dashboard.md
If using project-files, the PRD can live alongside PLAN.md, SPEC.md, etc.
Integration with Other Skills
From grill-me → PRD
grill-me session clarifies requirements →
create-prd codifies them into a formal document →
prd-to-tasks breaks them into implementation tasks →
implement-tasks executes
To prd-to-tasks
The PRD is the input to prd-to-tasks. Every user story and functional requirement in the PRD maps to one or more tasks.
To mixture-of-experts
Share the PRD with MoE experts for architecture, security, and performance review:
PRD_CONTENT=$(cat PRD-feature.md)
pi -p "Review this PRD for completeness, risks, and missing requirements:\n\n$PRD_CONTENT" \
--system-prompt "You are a senior product manager..."
Examples
Minimal PRD (for small features)
# PRD: Add Dark Mode
**Status:** Draft | **Created:** 2026-04-27 | **Version:** 1.0
## Executive Summary
Add a dark mode toggle to the application. Users have requested this for
reduced eye strain during night use.
## Problem Statement
The app currently only supports light mode. Users working in low-light
environments report eye strain. Competitor apps all support dark mode.
## Goals
- Add dark mode toggle in user settings
- Respect OS-level color scheme preference
- Cover all existing screens and components
## Non-Goals
- Custom theme builder (just light/dark)
- Per-component color overrides
- Scheduled theme switching
## User Stories
### Must Have (P0)
- As a user, I want to toggle between light and dark mode so that I can
reduce eye strain in low-light environments.
- As a user, I want the app to follow my OS color scheme by default so
that I don't need to configure it manually.
### Nice to Have (P2)
- As a user, I want my preference to persist across sessions so that
I don't need to re-set it.
## Functional Requirements
### FR-1: Theme Toggle
- System must provide a toggle in the settings menu
- System must apply the selected theme immediately across all screens
- System must persist the user's choice to localStorage
### FR-2: OS Preference Detection
- System must detect `prefers-color-scheme` on first visit
- If user hasn't set a preference, default to OS preference
## Open Questions
- [ ] Should we animate the theme transition? (leaning: yes, 300ms ease)
Full PRD (for major features)
See the template above — fill all sections for features with significant scope.
Edge Cases
No Prior Discussion
If asked to create a PRD with no context:
I don't have enough context to create a meaningful PRD.
Let me ask a few questions first (using grill-me):
1. What's the problem we're solving?
2. Who is the target user?
3. What's the scope — MVP or full feature?
Then I'll draft the PRD.
Conflicting Requirements
If the user mentions conflicting requirements, flag them:
## Open Questions
- [ ] **CONFLICT:** User wants both "instant load" and "real-time data from slow
external API." These conflict — which takes priority? Options:
A) Show cached data instantly, refresh in background
B) Show loading state, always show fresh data
Feature Creep During Discussion
Keep non-goals tight:
## Non-Goals
- ❌ User suggested "also add X while we're at it" — deferred to v2.
- ❌ Integration with Y service — separate PRD if needed later.
Best Practices
- Keep the executive summary short — If your mom can't understand it, it's too complex
- User stories drive everything — Requirements derive from stories, not the reverse
- Non-goals are as important as goals — They prevent scope creep
- Mark assumptions — Everything you weren't explicitly told is an assumption
- One PRD per feature — Don't combine unrelated features
- Version the PRD — Increment on significant changes so readers know if they're stale
- Link to related docs — SPEC.md, PLAN.md, design mockups, relevant issues
