Kareem El-Shaffei’s Post

Hey there!!! Let's talk about a PRD! What's a PRD? A Product Requirement Document (PRD) is a crucial document that outlines the product's goals, requirements and specifications. It serves as a guide for the development team, stakeholders, and customers to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the product's vision, functionality, and expectations. The primary focus of a PRD is to: 1. Define the product's purpose and goals 2. Identify the target audience and their needs 3. Outline the product's functional and non-functional requirements 4. Establish the product's success metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) 5. Provide a shared understanding among stakeholders and the development team. Components of a PRD 1. Executive Summary which entails a brief overview of the product's purpose, goals, and key requirements. 2. Product Description which requires a detailed description of the product, including its features, functionality, and user experience. 3. Target Audience: Identification of the target users, their needs, and pain points. 4. User Stories: Brief descriptions of the product's functionality from the user's perspective. 5. Functional Requirements: Detailed descriptions of the product's functional capabilities. 6. Non-Functional Requirements: Description of the product's performance, scalability, and security requirements. 7. Assumptions and Dependencies: Identification of any assumptions and dependencies that may impact the product's development. 8. Success Metrics and KPIs: Definition of the product's success metrics and KPIs. 9. Glossary: Definitions of technical terms and acronyms used in the PRD. Essence of a PRD A well-crafted PRD offers several benefits, including: 1. Clear product vision: Ensures everyone involved in the product's development shares a common understanding of the product's goals and requirements. 2. Improved communication: Facilitates communication among stakeholders, developers, and customers. 3. Reduced misunderstandings: Minimizes misunderstandings and misinterpretations that can lead to project delays and cost overruns. 4. Increased efficiency: Helps prioritize features and requirements, ensuring the development team focuses on the most critical aspects of the product. 5. Better decision-making: Provides a framework for making informed decisions about product development and resource allocation. By following these best practices and including the necessary components, a PRD becomes a powerful tool for ensuring the successful development and launch of a product that meets the needs of its target audience.

One major error you should avoid when resuming a role as a PM is trying to read the PRDs. You think to yourself - Yeah, this is the knowledge archive - the shortcut to understanding your new product ecosystem. But here are the problems with most PRDs: ↳Ghost features - Half of the features on it were not built and the ones that were, some have stopped working and have not been fixed. See that SMS that should be triggered after that action - well it hasn't worked in 2 years. ↳Missing context - Most of these documents rarely capture the "why" behind decisions. ↳Outdated information - PRDs age like milk, not wine. Almost nobody goes back to update those things. Think I'm lying - check the last edited date. Yeah - April 2021. ↳Evolving priorities - Business goals shift faster than PRDs update. ↳Integration oversights - PRDs often miss system-wide implications. Let me stop there for now. Reading PRDs might feel good in the moment but all it does is give you this false sense of progress. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘. 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗅 ↳The engineers ↳The users of the product ↳The sales team ↳The customer care team who know what is what ↳The stakeholders A 30 min call with an customer care rep would trump 3 hours reading an ancient PRD. And guess what you are given the context and the evolution of it all from that person. Also, you've gained someone you can reach out to any time. Your greatest tool isn't a document – it's your ability to connect, listen, and adapt. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 > 𝗣𝗥𝗗𝘀

Our guide to write the perfect PRD 👇👇 In this post, we’ll dive into what a PRD is and share three essential tips for creating a top-notch document. https://lnkd.in/dCUazZx8

🚀 Navigating Product Requirements: Simplified Guide 🌟 Let's unravel the final step in the discovery process - creating a Product Requirements Document (PRD) in plain language: Understanding the PRD: The PRD is like a roadmap for the product team, aligning everyone towards a common goal. It outlines what the product must do, its purpose, features, and how success will be measured. Essential Sections of a PRD: Product Purpose: Summarizes who it's for, why it's built, and the problems it solves. Product Features: Details what the product will do, prioritizing key functionalities. Release Criteria: Defines how we'll know when a feature is ready, including functionality, usability, reliability, performance, and supportability. Schedule and Constraints: Sets timelines, resources, and limitations for development. Tips for Crafting Effective Requirements: Keep it concise: A shorter, focused PRD is more actionable. Capture essence, not details: Describe what the feature enables without diving into implementation details. Prioritize themes: Identify core themes for the product and allocate resources based on value, impact, differentiation, and development complexity. Use prioritization techniques: Explore methods like Buy a Feature, weighted scoring models, or visual tools for team input and alignment. Continuous Process: Remember, requirements evolve, so this is an ongoing process of refinement and adjustment based on changing needs. Creating a clear, prioritized PRD ensures effective communication with the development team, guiding them on what needs to be built without micromanaging the how. 🛠️💡 #ProductRequirements #AgileDevelopment #TeamAlignment

DAY 61: KEY ELEMENTS OF YOUR PRODUCT MESSAGE One of the key elements for a product message is the product’s theme. Key learnings: There are three key questions our theme should answer: - Why is this product/company important? - Why are you doing this? - What’s special about your company’s mission that will make a customer want your product over a competitor’s? - Another element to look at is what’s fresh and new about the product: What are we building a message for? On your sheet of paper, create a new section where you list what’s fresh and new. NB: Rather than telling people about these fresh and new features, though, you want to talk about the benefits they provide to the customer, using the underlying theme and the customer’s problems/needs to affect your diction. - To each new feature you listed, write why the customer should care and how this feature relates to the theme. - Create “Now” and “Future” columns and write out what the customer’s doing now and why your product, especially with this new feature, is better. - Address what someone’s first impression of your product might be, and whether you need to influence that impression. NB: Our first impressions have a big effect on our attitudes. NOTE: In your notes for your product, write down what you feel each persona’s first impression of your product will be. If you need to influence that impression, write down how you want to shift the perception. #productmanager  #productdevelopment #day61ofbecomingagreatPM #theproductbook

This is an inspiring approach by Alex to write a draft PRD in just 10 minutes! This method boosts efficiency and ensures clarity and early alignment within the team. Encourage more PMs to practice this simple approach. #ProductManagement

while working on a sample PRD,I've learned that the key to crafting a successful Product Requirements Document lies in providing the right "background context". It's not just about listing features and functionalities - it's about painting a vivid picture of the why behind what you are intending to build. Think of the "background context"as the foundation upon which the rest of the PRD is built. It sets the stage for stakeholders to understand the problem you're trying to solve, the market opportunity you're addressing, and the goals you're aiming to achieve. Without this crucial context, your PRD runs the risk of being just a jumble of technical specifications without any real purpose. Get to know your target audience inside out, understand their pain points, desires, and preferences. this will enable you to develop a more comprehensive and focused PRD."

The most significant measure for a PRD is: does it bring clarity? Clarity on: 1. The key success metrics 2. The hypothesis the team is testing 3. The user problem or need the team is solving 4. The evidence the team has for the choice made 5. Guidance for design & eng decisions that will support the goal The worse a PRD is, the more it confuses people. People say: • “What does the feature actually do?” • We couldn’t determine if it was successful.” • “Everyone has a different idea of the feature.” The best PRDs align everyone’s understanding. ↳ However, they don’t always start this way. ↳ The PRD evolves to be that way. Here’s how that clarity emerges: 1. Initially, it might just be a speclet during planning. 2. After problem discovery, the problem becomes clear. 3. After solution discovery, the solution discovery becomes clear. 4. After launch, the results become clear. It documents the outcome of the double diamond design process., in writing. A great PRD won’t compensate for a bad strategy. But it makes executing a good strategy more feasible. Find out more about the PRD evolution process here: https://lnkd.in/gcxVMMiA

There is no shortage of great advice on breaking into product management, but it can often feel like a moving goal post. I wanted to contribute to the conversation with some insights and much needed humor 🍩🍩🍩. Check out my thoughts, along with a sketch I made: [Link to the article]

Ask yourself, "What if I were wrong?" as a PM. The answer may surprise you. Whenever I'm doing things like: • Strategy • PRDs • User Stories • Anything that has an assumption. I ask myself, what if I were wrong? I ask this question for a couple of reasons. 1. Parse out any underlying biases. 2. Identify what can go wrong. It forces me to think from a different direction. What questions do you use to identify your biases?