prd-authoring

name: prd-authoring description: "Standard for authoring product PRDs in docs/prd/: state the problem, users, requirements, and success; assign PRD-{AREA}-{NN} IDs; link down to specs." version: 1.0.0 category: documentation agent_types: [product, product-owner, pm] tags: [prd, product, requirements, authoring, standards] effort: medium user-invocable: true progressive_disclosure: entry_point: summary: "Author product PRDs in docs/prd/ using the PRD-{AREA}-{NN} grammar, a product-owned template (problem, users, requirements, acceptance, metrics), and a product lifecycle. PRDs are realized by engineering specs." when_to_use: "When defining a product problem and its requirements, creating a docs/prd/{area}.md file, adding PRD-{AREA}-{NN} requirements, running product/user/market research, or mapping requirements to implementing specs." quick_start: "1. Read docs/prd/README.md for ID grammar 2. Pick/create the area file from TEMPLATE.md 3. State problem, users, requirements 4. Add acceptance criteria + success metrics 5. Fill the Linked Specs table" references: - prd-template.md - prd-research-practices.md - prd-lifecycle.md - prd-to-spec-linkage.md - ia-and-categories.md

PRD Authoring

Overview

This skill is the agent-facing entry point to the Product PRD Standard: how to write Product Requirements Documents in docs/prd/. A PRD answers what problem, for which users, what requirements, and what success looks like — and is owned by Product (Product Owner / PM).

It has a distinct engineering companion — keep the roles separate:

• prd-authoring (this skill) = authoring product PRDs. State the problem, target users, goals, user stories, requirements, acceptance criteria, and success metrics; assign stable PRD-{AREA}-{NN} IDs; run product/user/market research; map requirements down to implementing specs.
• spec-authoring = engineering specs (a separate, engineering-owned standard — docs/specs/, SPEC-{SUBSYSTEM}-{NN}~{rev}). Specs implement PRD requirements.
• spec-linked-docs = traceability between specs and source code.

PRD ≠ SPEC. A PRD is a product requirements doc (PRD-{AREA}-{NN}, in docs/prd/, owned by Product). A SPEC is an engineering behavior contract (SPEC-{SUBSYSTEM}-{NN}~{rev}, in docs/specs/, owned by Engineering). A PRD requirement is realized by one or more specs; list them in the Linked Specs table. Do not put inputs/outputs/error contracts in a PRD — that is the spec's job.

Full standard: docs/prd/README.md. This skill orients and links; README.md is the authoritative, portable standard, and docs/prd/TEMPLATE.md is the copy-pasteable document.

Use this skill, do not duplicate it. SKILL.md is a concise router. The detailed rules live in docs/prd/README.md and the five reference files below. Read the reference you need.

When to Use

• Defining a product problem and turning it into stable requirements.
• Creating a new docs/prd/{area}.md file for a product area.
• Adding a governed PRD-{AREA}-{NN} requirement to an existing PRD.
• Running product / user / market / competitive research and recording it.
• Mapping requirements to the engineering spec(s) that implement them (Linked Specs table).
• Moving a PRD through its lifecycle (Draft → Review → Approved → In-development → Shipped).

If your task is instead authoring the engineering contract, use spec-authoring.

Core Model (at a glance)

A PRD is product-owned: one product area = one file (docs/prd/{area}.md). Each governed requirement has a stable {#PRD-{AREA}-{NN}} ID. A PRD document carries:

• Header — Title, Status, Owner = Product, Version, Last-updated, Related specs/ADRs.
• Problem & Context — the why.
• Target Users / Personas, Goals & Non-Goals, User Stories / JTBD.
• Requirements — Functional & Non-functional, each a stable PRD-{AREA}-{NN} item.
• Acceptance Criteria, Success Metrics / KPIs.
• Scope & Out-of-Scope, Risks & Assumptions, Open Questions.
• Linked Specs — the PRD→SPEC traceability table.
• References — research + sources.

PRD IDs have no ~{rev} suffix — requirements evolve via lifecycle and supersession, not a tilde counter.

The copy-pasteable template is docs/prd/TEMPLATE.md (and references/prd-template.md explains how to fill it).

Quick Start

1. Read the grammar. docs/prd/README.md §3 defines PRD-{AREA}-{NN} and the declaration rule. Do not invent IDs.
2. Pick or create the area file. One product area = one file. See references/ia-and-categories.md.
3. Apply the template. Copy docs/prd/TEMPLATE.md; fill problem, users, requirements, acceptance criteria, success metrics. Guidance in references/prd-template.md.
4. Ground it in research. Non-obvious requirements cite product/user/market research. See references/prd-research-practices.md.
5. Map requirements to specs. Fill the Linked Specs table; engineering authors the specs and cites the PRD ID back. See references/prd-to-spec-linkage.md.
6. Manage the lifecycle. Draft → Review → Approved → In-development → Shipped → Superseded. See references/prd-lifecycle.md.

Reference Files

Relationship to Specs

A PRD states what and why; a spec states the engineering contract that realizes it. The two are distinct standards (distinct dirs, IDs, owners, templates) with a bidirectional link: the PRD's Linked Specs table points down to implementing SPEC-{SUBSYSTEM}-{NN}~{rev} IDs; each spec section cites the PRD-{AREA}-{NN} it implements up. Read spec-authoring when you need to understand or coordinate the engineering side.