You’ve probably seen those massive, 50-page PDFs gathering digital dust in a Jira ticket somewhere. Most people think a product requirements document example needs to be this formal, intimidating manifesto that covers every single pixel and edge case before a developer even touches the keyboard. Honestly? That’s the fastest way to build something nobody wants. If you’re looking for a template just to fill in the blanks, you’re kinda missing the point of why we write these things in the first place.
A PRD isn't about documentation for documentation’s sake. It’s about alignment. It’s about making sure the engineer in Berlin and the designer in New York actually agree on what "success" looks like for the feature you're shipping next month.
What a Real Product Requirements Document Example Actually Looks Like
Let's look at how companies like Slack or Airbnb might approach this. They don't start with "System Requirement 1.0.1." They start with a problem.
Imagine you’re building a "Dark Mode" for a SaaS platform. A bad product requirements document example would just say: "The app needs a dark theme." A great one explains why. Maybe your power users are developers working at 2:00 AM, and they’re literally complaining about eye strain on Twitter. That context changes how a developer thinks about the hex codes they’re choosing.
The Problem Statement: Stop Skipping This
Most PMs rush through the "Why." Don't do that. If you can't explain the pain point in two sentences, you don't understand the requirement well enough yet. Use real data here. Mention that 40% of support tickets mention "accessibility" or that churn increases when users hit a specific friction point in the onboarding flow.
Goals vs. Non-Goals
This is my favorite part of a lean PRD. You have to be aggressive about what you are not doing. If you're building a checkout page, a non-goal might be "adding gift card support in this sprint." It keeps the team focused. It prevents the dreaded "scope creep" that turns a two-week task into a three-month nightmare.
Why Most Templates Fail You
The internet is full of "ultimate" templates that are basically just bloated checklists. If you follow a rigid product requirements document example from 2012, you're going to spend more time formatting tables than thinking about your users.
Modern product management is moving toward "one-pagers." Why? Because nobody reads long documents. Engineers want to see the user flow, the API constraints, and the success metrics. They don't want to read a preamble about the company's 5-year vision for every minor bug fix.
Use Cases and User Stories
Instead of listing features, write stories. "As a frequent traveler, I want to see my flight status on the lock screen so I don't have to fumble with my passcode while carrying luggage." That’s a requirement. It’s specific. It’s testable. It gives the designer a mental image of the environment—busy, hurried, one-handed use.
The Technical Constraints Section
This is where things get real. Talk to your tech lead before you finalize the PRD. Is there a legacy database that makes "real-time updates" impossible right now? Put that in there. There is nothing worse than finishing a beautiful PRD only to have an engineer tell you it’ll take six months because of "technical debt" you didn't know existed.
Navigating the "Definition of Done"
How do you know when the feature is actually finished? A solid product requirements document example must include acceptance criteria. This isn't just "it works." It’s "The page loads in under 2 seconds," or "The user receives a confirmation email within 30 seconds of purchase."
Marty Cagan, author of Inspired and a bit of a legend in the product world, often talks about the difference between a "feature soup" and a product that solves a problem. Your PRD should be the bridge between those two things. If you find yourself listing 50 different "nice-to-have" buttons, you’re making soup. Stop.
Analytics and Tracking
If you don't define what you're measuring, you can't prove the feature worked. Mention specific events. "We need to track the click-through rate on the new CTA." Don't just say "track everything." That’s a nightmare for the data team and usually results in a messy dashboard that no one looks at.
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A Practical Example: The "Smart Notifications" Feature
Let's say you're working on a feature to reduce notification fatigue. Your PRD shouldn't just be a list of toggle switches.
- The User Pain: Users are turning off all notifications because they get too many "low value" pings during work hours.
- The Hypothesis: If we allow users to batch notifications into a "Daily Summary," they will keep the app's notifications enabled.
- The MVP: A simple toggle in settings to receive all non-urgent alerts at 5:00 PM.
- Success Metric: A 15% reduction in "Disable All Notifications" events over 30 days.
Notice how that doesn't require a complex table or a 20-page breakdown. It's clear. It's actionable. It’s a product requirements document example that actually helps people build stuff.
Dealing With Stakeholder Feedback
You're going to get comments. Lots of them. The PRD is a living document, not a stone tablet. When the Marketing lead asks why you aren't including a social sharing button, don't just say "no." Refer back to the Goals section. "Social sharing is a non-goal for this phase because we're focused purely on retention, not acquisition."
It’s a shield. Use it.
Versioning and The "Final" Lie
There is no such thing as a final PRD. As soon as development starts, you’ll find a weird edge case. Maybe the API returns a 404 in a way you didn't expect. Update the document. Keep it as the "source of truth" so when the QA team starts testing, they aren't looking at an outdated version of the plan.
Avoiding the "Template Trap"
Don't get obsessed with finding the "perfect" product requirements document example. Different projects need different levels of detail.
- Small Tweaks: A Slack message or a short Notion page is often enough.
- New Core Features: This needs a proper PRD with logic flows and edge cases.
- Infrastructure Overhauls: This might need more technical specs than user stories.
The best PRD is the one that gets read. If your team prefers Loom videos, embed a video at the top of the doc. If they love Figma mocks, put them front and center. Use the format that reduces friction for your specific team.
The Role of Design in the PRD
Some PMs think the PRD comes first, then the design. That’s old-school waterfall thinking. In a modern environment, the PRD and the wireframes usually evolve together. You might realize during a design sprint that a requirement is actually impossible to fit on a mobile screen. That’s fine. Change the PRD.
Actionable Steps for Your Next PRD
Stop looking for the magic document and start focusing on clarity. Here is how you should actually spend your time when drafting your next one:
First, spend an hour just talking to users or looking at raw support data. Don't even open a doc yet. Just get the "Why" crystal clear in your head.
Next, write the "Success Metrics" before you write the "Features." It forces you to justify every single button you’re asking the team to build. If you can't explain how a feature helps hit the metric, delete it.
Draft the "Non-Goals" section with your lead engineer. This is the best way to build trust. When they see you’re actively trying to prevent them from doing unnecessary work, they’ll be much more engaged when you ask for the difficult stuff.
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Finally, keep it scannable. Use bold text for key points. Use headers that actually describe the section. If someone can't understand the gist of the project by scanning the doc for 60 seconds, it’s too long. Rewrite it.
The goal of a product requirements document example isn't to show how smart you are or how much you can write. It’s to make sure that on launch day, there are no surprises. No one should be asking "Wait, why did we build it this way?" If you’ve done your job, the doc has already answered that.
Get out of the templates. Focus on the problem. Write for your team, not for the archive.