PRD Scaffolding Expert

Overview

Structured product requirements document creation using a proven 8-section framework. This skill produces clear, jargon-free PRDs that communicate what to build, why it matters, and how success is measured. Every PRD generated follows a consistent structure that keeps engineering, design, and business stakeholders aligned.

When to Use

• New Product Initiative -- Starting a product from scratch and need a comprehensive spec before development begins.
• Feature Expansion -- Adding significant functionality to an existing product that requires cross-team alignment.
• Stakeholder Alignment -- Need a single document that answers "what are we building and why?" for everyone involved.

PRD Framework (8 Sections)

Section 1: Summary

Write 2-3 sentences that a busy executive can read in 10 seconds and understand the full scope. Answer three questions: What is this? Who is it for? Why are we doing it now?

Do not use marketing language. State the product, the user, and the expected outcome plainly.

Section 2: Contacts

A table of people involved in the decision:

Keep this short. Only list people who will actively contribute or approve.

Section 3: Background

Answer three questions:

1. Context -- What is the current state? What exists today?
2. Why now? -- What changed in the market, technology, or business that makes this urgent?
3. What recently became possible? -- New capabilities, partnerships, data, or insights that enable this initiative.

This section sets the stage. A reader who skips every other section should still understand the motivation after reading Background.

Section 4: Objective

State the business benefit and the customer benefit separately:

• Business benefit: How does this move a business metric? (revenue, retention, cost reduction, market share)
• Customer benefit: How does this improve the user's life? (time saved, friction removed, new capability)

Then define 2-4 SMART Key Results in OKR format:

• Objective: [qualitative, inspirational statement]
• KR1: [metric] from [current] to [target] by [date]
• KR2: [metric] from [current] to [target] by [date]
• KR3: [metric] from [current] to [target] by [date]

Section 5: Market Segment(s)

Define segments by the problems they face or jobs they need done -- not by demographics. A segment is a group of people who share a common struggle or desired outcome.

Format: "[Segment name]: People who need to [job/problem] because [context]."

Bad: "Millennials aged 25-35 in urban areas" Good: "Time-constrained professionals who need to coordinate schedules across 3+ tools because their organization lacks a unified calendar system"

Section 6: Value Proposition(s)

For each market segment, define:

1. Jobs addressed -- What tasks or goals does this product help accomplish?
2. Gains created -- What positive outcomes does the user experience?
3. Pains relieved -- What frustrations, risks, or obstacles are removed?
4. Competitive advantage -- Why is our approach better than existing alternatives?

Use the Value Curve framework to visualize where you compete, where you exceed, and where you deliberately underinvest relative to alternatives.

Section 7: Solution

Break into subsections:

• UX / Prototypes -- Key screens, flows, or interaction patterns. Link to design files.
• Key Features -- Numbered list of features with one-sentence descriptions. Mark each as P0 (must-have), P1 (important), or P2 (nice-to-have).
• Technology (optional) -- Architecture decisions, integrations, or infrastructure requirements that constrain the solution.
• Assumptions -- Explicit list of things you believe to be true but have not validated. Each assumption should have a plan to validate it.

Section 8: Release

• Relative timeline -- Use T-shirt sizes (S/M/L/XL) or Now/Next/Later rather than specific dates, unless dates are firm.
• v1 scope -- What ships in the first version? Draw a clear line.
• Future versions -- What is explicitly deferred? List it so stakeholders know it was considered but intentionally excluded.
• Success criteria -- When do we know v1 succeeded? Reference the Key Results from Section 4.

Writing Principles

• Plain language -- No jargon, no acronyms without definition, no buzzwords.
• One idea per sentence -- If a sentence has "and" connecting two distinct ideas, split it.
• Specificity over abstraction -- "Reduce onboarding from 12 steps to 4" beats "Simplify onboarding."
• Saved as: PRD-[product-name].md

Workflow

1. Gather context: product name, target segment, core problem.
2. Run scripts/prd_scaffolder.py to generate the skeleton.
3. Fill in each section using the guidance above and references/prd-writing-guide.md.
4. Review against the checklist in references/prd-writing-guide.md.
5. Share with stakeholders for feedback.

Tools

Troubleshooting

Success Criteria

• PRD passes the "10-second executive test" -- a busy executive understands scope from Section 1 alone
• All 8 sections are complete before development begins (no placeholder sections remain)
• Market segments defined by jobs-to-be-done, not demographics
• Key Results in Section 4 are measurable with baselines, targets, and deadlines
• Every assumption in Section 7 has a validation plan and owner
• PRD reviewed by PM, Engineering Lead, Design Lead, and at least one stakeholder before commitment
• v1 scope in Section 8 draws a clear line between what ships and what is explicitly deferred

Scope & Limitations

In Scope:

• 8-section PRD skeleton generation with guided placeholders
• Section-by-section writing guidance following plain-language, specificity-over-abstraction principles
• Market segment definition using jobs-to-be-done framework
• Value proposition mapping with Value Curve competitive analysis
• Release planning with Now/Next/Later and explicit deferral documentation

Out of Scope:

• Technical architecture or system design documents (see engineering/ skills)
• User story writing and backlog creation (see execution/job-stories/ and execution/wwas/)
• Detailed UX research or usability testing plans (see product-team/ skills)
• Financial business case modeling (see finance/ domain skills)

Important Caveats:

• A PRD is a communication tool, not a contract. Treat it as a living document that evolves with implementation learning.
• The 8-section framework is a proven structure, but lightweight agile teams may need only sections 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Heavyweight compliance contexts (medical devices, regulated industries) may need additional sections.
• A 2025 Carnegie Mellon SEI study found that effective requirements management eliminates 50-80% of project defects. The investment in a clear PRD pays for itself in reduced rework.

Integration Points

Tool Reference

prd_scaffolder.py

Generates a complete 8-section PRD markdown skeleton with guided placeholders, market segment sections, and value proposition templates.

References

• references/prd-writing-guide.md -- Section-by-section writing guide and review checklist
• assets/prd_template.md -- Complete PRD template ready to fill in