{"id":21538,"date":"2022-12-22T16:22:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T15:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/?p=21538"},"modified":"2022-12-22T16:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T15:29:10","slug":"prd-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/product-management\/prd-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a PRD? A Beginner\u2019s Guide to the Product Requirements Document"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRDs, or Product Requirement Documents, are some of the key elements of product management. Understanding the full PRD meaning can help you get the most out of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the type of company you might be working at, they may even be a fairly standard document type. Or your company may be transitioned to something else: either way, chances are that at some point in your PM career, someone will ask you what you want to build and why. And ultimately, that&#8217;s the key question a PRD is trying to answer.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d like to skip ahead to a certain section, just use the clickable menu:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-is-a-prd-meaning\"><strong>What is a PRD meaning<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><a href=\"#what-does-prd-stand-for\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does PRD stand for?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#why-are-prds-useful\"><strong>Why are PRDs useful?<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><a href=\"#prd-advantages\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRD advantages<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><a href=\"#prd-disadvantages\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRD disadvantages<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-to-create-a-prd-a-step-by-step-guide\"><strong>How to create a PRD: A step-by-step guide<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#prd-vs-mrd\"><strong>PRD vs MRD<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you ready to get into it? Then let\u2019s begin!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-a-prd-meaning\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. What is a PRD meaning\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its strictest form, the PRD is a legacy of the heydays of Waterfall Software Development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In those pre-Agile days, it would not be an uncommon expectation to spend years doing research on a given product, pour out all the findings onto a mammoth 40- to 100-page document, and only then start any kind of development. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"what-does-prd-stand-for\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does PRD stand for?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To put it very simply, PRD stands for <strong>Product Requirement Document<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What&#8217;s more, once such powerful documents had been unleashed, they were considered to be done. It wouldn&#8217;t be considered acceptable to alter them, even if one or more of the underlying factors which may have contributed to it might have changed in the meantime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To top it all off, back in the day, this type of document, which would have been combed together by business managers or even marketing managers, would effectively deem any kind of communication between engineering and the rest of the business unnecessary, and perhaps even undesirable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engineers would make what they were being asked to, often according to minute instructions, but would have little or no insight as to why. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsurprisingly, once the Agile movement took off, this model of work became outdated. But the PRD itself has survived, even if its original shape might have been substantially trimmed down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-are-prds-useful\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Why are PRDs useful?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its essence, the meaning of a PRD has not changed even as Agile may have become the predominant way of building products: it was and remains a piece of documentation where the needs of a business, or of a specific product, are written down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a product manager\u2019s perspective, the PRD may no longer be the culmination of years of work, but it is not something which needs to be discarded altogether either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRDs do still have a part to play when it comes to non-Agile organizations, as well as any organization where there is a considerable distance and disconnect between technical and non-technical stakeholders, or highly hierarchical organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"prd-advantages\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRD advantages<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Serves as a good alignment document in strategy or prioritization processes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demands that the PM articulate very clearly what might be built and why<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For development teams, taking part in putting together a PRD might help bring visibility to the amount of effort required to build something<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"prd-disadvantages\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRD disadvantages<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stakeholders might mistake a PRD for a commitment document or a burn down chart<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The existence of a PRD might lock both the PM and the development team into a particular solution<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continuous discovery might be discouraged in settings where PRDs are used (after all, your discovery was enough to put together a requirements document!)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In more Agile organizations, you may find modern versions of PRDs in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlassian.com\/software\/jira\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">software tools such as JIRA<\/a>, which provides a much more flexible way of both compiling a PRD and also update it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-create-a-prd-a-step-by-step-guide\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. How to create a PRD: A step-by-step guide<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While different companies use different templates to write their PRDs, there are some common elements which should be included no matter what.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step One: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create some context for your PRD<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This might be done by clearly mentioning the product that the feature will be a part of, as well as the company\u2019s vision and mission. Ensure that any readers will be able to see a common thread between all these elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Two: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide a structured description of what you intend to build<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ideally this section will have enough technical detail to make it tangible, but not so much that it becomes unreadable for the Sales and Marketing teams to understand. PRDs are most effective when kept short, so try to limit this to a maximum of three paragraphs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Three: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly mention all resources that would be required <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is in case the feature were to be built.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By &#8220;resources&#8221;, this should include both people (e.g., how many developers would be required and which skills they should possess, as well as any software tools requiring additional budget)<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Four: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Add an indicative timeline <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(emphasis on the \u201cindicative\u201d) <\/span>This is not meant to be a commitment set in stone.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Five: P<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">repare to present your PRD<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steps 1-5 were just the starting point. Your PRD is likely to undergo multiple revisions and updates, based on stakeholder input.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"prd-vs-mrd\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. PRD vs MRD<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the difference between a Product Requirements Document and a Marketing Requirements Document? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, they complement each other. The MRD is focused on assessing the market size of the opportunity, whereas the PRD describes how that opportunity will be addressed through a given product. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, the product manager would work on the PRD, while the PMM (<a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/product-management\/product-marketing-manager\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Product Marketing Manager<\/a>) would work on a MRD. In smaller organizations, the same person might actually be charged with producing both.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"wrap-up\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Wrap-up<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PRDs have been around for a while and have over time shown up in different forms. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They&#8217;ve mostly evolved from very long, very detailed instruction manuals into living documents that create a lot more transparency between the various company functions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, product managers are bound to find themselves working on some sort of PRD or other, so learning about it is and will continue to be a part of a PM\u2019s job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking to become a product manager, then learning this skill is important. That&#8217;s why as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/courses\/intro-to-product-management\/\">CareerFoundry Intro to Product Management Course<\/a>, students will tackle the PRD and the key elements which go into it as part of their first steps into the field.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ready to continue your journey into product management? Here are some more articles to tackle next:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a title=\"The Complete Product Roadmap Guide: How to Create One + Examples\" href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/product-management\/product-roadmap-guide\/\">The Complete Product Roadmap Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/product-management\/product-management-training\/\">How to Choose the Best Product Management Training<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/product-management\/minimum-viable-product\/\">What does MVP Mean? A Guide for Product Managers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learning what a PRD meaning is is key for any product manager. In this guide find out what they are, why they&#8217;re great, and how to create one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":21653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product-management"],"acf":{"homepage_category_featured":false},"modified_by":"Matthew Deery","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}