{"id":8003,"date":"2020-03-04T12:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/?p=8003"},"modified":"2020-03-04T12:00:18","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T18:00:18","slug":"the-exceptional-product-requirements-document","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/the-exceptional-product-requirements-document\/","title":{"rendered":"The Exceptional Product Requirements Document"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Last week we covered <a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/developing-prd-product-requirements-document\/\">the basics of the Product Requirements Document <\/a>(PRD). We considered what it is, its use, and what it must contain. This week I\u2019ll lay out the eight things that set a PRD apart as a highly useful document. Deliver these eight, and you\u2019ll have a document that smoothes out development and leads to a positive outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Deliver These Eight for an Exceptional Product Requirements Document <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What does highly useful PRD look like?&nbsp; It will be\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1 \u2013 Verifiable.<\/strong> The requirements are measurable, not\nsubjective. You can test their validity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 \u2013 Clear and Concise.<\/strong> No rambling. No cleverness, just a clear and\neasily understood explanation that can only be interpreted one way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3 \u2013 Complete.<\/strong>\nThe document does not require the reader to fill in gaps. All the information\nis there in black and white. It covers the entire scope of the product or\nenhancement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4 \u2013 Consistent.<\/strong> Requirements are aligned. They do not\nconflict. You do not duplicate requirements. You define terms and maintain a\nconsistent use of those terms throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5 \u2013 Traceable.<\/strong> Every requirement can be traced back to a\nmarket need it is fulfilling. The document is organized with a numbering or\nannotation system covering individual requirements. There is a hierarchical\nstructure that breaks requirements into smaller units while also allowing them\nto be traced back to the higher requirement.&nbsp;\nThe PRD must track versions so that changes in requirements can be\nfollowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6 \u2013 Viable.<\/strong>\nCan the requirements actually be met? Are they feasible? The PRD must lay out a\nplan that can be delivered with existing technology, skills, and capabilities.\nIt must adhere to a set schedule and budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7 \u2013 Necessary.<\/strong> If the product requirements were removed,\nthere would be a noticeable deficiency in the system. Delivery on this item can\nlead to prioritization discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>8 \u2013 Free of Implementation.<\/strong> The requirements should define \u201cwhat\u201d not\n\u201chow\u201d. The how the requirements will be implemented should fall to the\ndesigners. The one exception to this is when the market insists that the\nproduct meet set standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019ve developed a PRD that can successfully deliver on these eight items, you can be confident your team will have what it needs to move forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">  <strong>Advancing the Profession of Product Management\u2122<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/\">website<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/product-management-consultants\/\">consulting<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/product-management-training\/\">training<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/product-management-toolkits\/\">toolkits<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Take-Charge-Product-Management-Effectiveness\/dp\/0615379273\">books<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/actuationconsulting.com\/product-management-blog-2\/\">blog<\/a>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greggeracie\">twitter<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week we covered the basics of the Product Requirements Document (PRD). We considered what it is, its use, and what it must contain. This week I\u2019ll lay out the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42,456,46,362,49,468,458,50,51,248,54],"tags":[299,341,182,194,300],"class_list":["post-8003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-analysis-2","category-market-requirements-document","category-product-management","category-product-manager","category-product-owner-2","category-product-requirements-document","category-product-roadmap","category-product-teams","category-project-management","category-take-charge-product-management","category-user-experience","tag-prd","tag-product-management","tag-product-manager","tag-product-owner","tag-product-requirements-document"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - 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