One of the pitfalls many companies make when rolling out a new product or feature is a lack of structured planning. While getting the project rolling is exciting, you want to be as prepared as possible. This is where a product requirements document (PRD) comes in handy.
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Think of a PRD as a blueprint for your product, outlining everything you need to know to bring your vision to life.
In this post, we provide an overview of what a PRD is and what it should include, as well as a PRD template to help you get started. We also provide some examples of completed PRDs to get your gears turning. Utilizing a PRD template the right way will help you build a solid foundation to turn your next product into a masterpiece.
For a more granular breakdown of how to build out this document, head over to our post on how to write a PRD.
Product Requirements Document Template
What Is a Product Requirements Document (PRD)?
A PRD is a roadmap that outlines a product’s features, functionalities, and overall purpose. It’s typically created by a project manager and serves as a communication tool that bridges the gap between the different teams working on the project, like design, engineering, and marketing.
The PRD also creates a cornerstone for complex product designs by providing goals, features, and technical specifications. A clear and concise PRD ensures everyone involved in the creation process has a shared understanding of the product’s goals and how it should function.
What Sections Should You Include in a PRD?
A strong PRD balances clarity with completeness. The goal is to give every team — design, engineering, marketing, and stakeholders — the context they need without bogging them down in unnecessary detail.
An effective PRD should include the following key components:
- Product overview: Add the product and project name, project manager, version, and other essential information.
- Purpose: Write out the product’s objectives, including what it will do and what problem it aims to solve.
- Success metrics: Have clear KPIs to ensure the product meets your internal goals for the project.
- Features: Outline the primary features and be specific about how they will make things easier or better for the user.
- Scope: Define what the current development cycle includes, like core features, functionalities, and integrations.
- Target market and audience: Identify who this product is for (e.g., medical professionals, parents, music producers), and then get more specific with customer segmentation.
- Competition: List some of the top competitors in this market and the names of their competing products.
- User interaction: Describe how users interact with the product and any haptic or auditory feedback. Outline the number of buttons and displays, as well as their functionality.
- Design: Describe how the product will align with the brand. Include information for dimensions, weight, colors, packaging, and presentation.
- Technical requirements: Explain any distinct features to prioritize, along with technical requirements such as feature functionality, specifications, expected behavior, etc.
- Environmental and safety requirements: Explain the expected operating conditions and regulatory standards it should meet.
- Software architecture and data processing: Outline any firmware functions and algorithms that the product may need to operate properly.
- Cost and manufacturing: Specify the minimum order quantity for the initial product run and the annual expected volume.
- Servicing and updates: Explain how to service the product.
- Milestones and timelines: Create separate milestones with start and completion dates for design, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. A Gantt chart or timeline view of project phases may also be helpful.
- Additional information: Include any potentially helpful information, like diagrams, schematics, and any supporting documentation or research.
- Open issues: List any product development challenges that still need solutions.
5 Tips To Optimize Your PRD
Depending on the project, you may not use all of the sections, so you can remove them if needed. For example, if you’re working on an app, you can remove the rows for form factor and materials.
Then, replace any italicized text with the specifics of your project.
1. Submit Your First Draft for Approval
Start by filling in every section of your PRD template, even if some details are placeholders. Using a template ensures you don’t miss key sections (like purpose, features, or open questions) and helps reviewers follow a consistent structure.
Once you’ve drafted it, share the document in a collaborative tool such as Google Docs, Confluence, or Notion so your manager or project sponsor can comment directly in line.
Pro tip: Set a review deadline (e.g., 48 hours) when you share the draft. This keeps feedback from dragging on and ensures your project doesn’t stall.
2. Share With Internal Teams
Send the PRD link to your design, engineering, and project management teams. Ask each group to check for gaps:
- Design: Confirm user flows and UI details and best practices are clear.
- Engineering: Flag technical risks or missing requirements.
- Project Management: Confirm timelines and milestones are realistic.
Pro tip: Kick off with a short sync (15-20 minutes) instead of just sending the doc. Walk teams through the sections most relevant to them so nothing gets missed.
3. Keep the PRD Updated Throughout the Project
Update the document whenever timelines change, scope shifts, or new risks appear. Use change logs (a simple, dated bullet list at the top of the doc) so everyone sees what’s new at a glance.
Pro tip: Assign one PRD “owner” to update the doc after every sprint review or major decision. This prevents outdated versions from floating around in Slack or email.
4. Present to the Stakeholders
Schedule a 30-60 minute meeting with stakeholders once the PRD is stable. Walk them through objectives, key features, dependencies, and risks. Share the document in advance so the meeting is for alignment, not reading.
Pro tip: Use a one-slide summary of the PRD to keep stakeholders focused. Hit budget, timelines, and outcomes first — save detailed sections for appendix/Q&A.
5. Archive Learnings for Future Projects
At project close, add a “Lessons Learned” section to the PRD: what worked well, what caused delays, and recommendations for next time. Store the doc in a shared folder or knowledge base (e.g., Confluence, Notion, or Google Drive) with a consistent naming format like PRD_ProjectName_Date.
Pro tip: Create a “PRD library” organized by product type (e.g., mobile app, web app, hardware). When new projects start, teams can search the archive for ready-made references.
Product Requirements Document Examples
Below, we have PRD examples for both physical and digital products to give you an idea of how they look.
Note: The names, emails, and numbers used in the following examples are not real.
1. YogaSense Smart Yoga Mat
This first PRD example is for a potential product for yoga enthusiasts. This smart yoga mat is designed for people looking to elevate their yoga practice with the latest in fitness technology. It combines both physical and digital products.
You’ll see in the example that the two primary aspects of this product are the smart yoga mat that has sensors to track posture and alignment and the app. The app can be used for pre-recorded audio or video sessions and live classes. Future plans include implementing community features to connect people through the app to join challenges and share their stories.
What it does well: Clearly combines hardware and software requirements while keeping the user experience, design, and measurable success metrics tightly aligned.
2. WealthWatcher
For teams developing a digital product, this next example is for a fictional app called WealthWatcher. Its goal is to provide users with credit score monitoring and the ability to track their spending.
The success metrics for this product are slightly different. With apps, the example company Wealth Solutions wants to focus on monthly active users, a high app store rating, and an average of 10 minutes spent in the app per session by users.
What it does well: This PRD does a great job of clearly connecting features, audience, and success metrics so the whole team knows what to build, who it’s for, and how to measure impact.
3. FitPulse Smartwatch
This PRD example is for a fictional wearable device, the FitPulse Smartwatch. It’s designed for health-conscious users who want a single device to track heart rate, sleep quality, workouts, and stress levels. The watch also integrates with popular fitness apps like Strava and Apple Health for seamless data syncing.
The PRD template highlights both hardware requirements (e.g., battery life, waterproof rating, biometric sensors) and software features (e.g., step tracking, push notifications, and guided breathing sessions). Success metrics for the product include daily active users, average session time on the companion app, and device retention rates over 12 months.
What it does well: Highlights how to scope hardware and software features together while benchmarking against real competitors like the Apple Watch and the Fitbit.
4. MedTrack Inhaler Companion
MedTrack Inhaler Companion is a smart cap for asthma inhalers that tracks medication usage and syncs with a mobile app to remind patients of their prescribed schedule. It’s designed for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers to improve adherence and reduce emergency incidents.
The PRD outlines device requirements like Bluetooth connectivity, battery life, and secure patient data handling. It also defines app features, including medication reminders, usage history logs, and provider dashboards.
For a more granular breakdown of how to build out a PRD template document, head over to our post on how to write a PRD.
What it does well: Shines in tying the product’s purpose to real patient outcomes, making it easy for teams to align features with healthcare compliance and usability needs.
Streamline Your Next Project With StudioRed
A well-crafted PRD plays a key role in successfully launching a new product. By utilizing a product requirements document template and following best practices, all stakeholders can become aligned on the project’s development and goals to ensure it runs smoothly.
If you’re ready to turn your product idea into a reality, StudioRed specializes in creating innovative, user-friendly products. Our team of experienced designers, engineers, and strategists develop comprehensive PRDs for every project.
We meet with each client to fully understand their vision, and our structured process allows us to stay on track to meet each milestone on time while creating a great product that’s within budget.
We specialize in everything from industrial design to UX/UI and prototyping. To learn more about how we can help with your next project, get in touch today!
