PRD Creator Skill

Create comprehensive PRDs that combine the best of Shape Up methodology, Amazon's Working Backwards approach, and traditional PRD practices.

When to Use

• Starting a new product or feature

• Defining scope and constraints for a project

• Preparing for a "bet" (Shape Up terminology)

• Needing a complete product specification

• Wanting to identify risks and rabbit holes early

The 12-Section PRD Framework

1. Product Overview

• Project title and version

• One-line description

• Executive summary

2. Working Backwards (Amazon Style)

• Press release headline

• Customer quote (delighted user)

• Internal quote (team perspective)

• Call to action

3. Problem Definition

• Surface problem (what users say)

• Five Whys analysis (root cause)

• Job to be done

• Current workarounds

• Why this matters now

4. Appetite & Constraints (Shape Up)

• Time budget (2-week small batch or 6-week big batch)

• Bet type and team size

• Must Have (P0), Nice to Have (P1), Won't Have (P2)

• Trade-off priorities

5. Solution Shape

• Solution overview (fat marker sketch level)

• Key elements

• What we're NOT building (critical for scope control)

6. Boundaries & Rabbit Holes

• Out of bounds (explicit exclusions)

• Known rabbit holes (complexity warnings)

• Dependencies

• Mitigation strategies

7. Goals & Anti-Goals

• Business goals

• User goals

• Anti-goals (what we're intentionally not solving)

• Success definition

8. Customer & Users

• Primary persona

• Secondary personas

• User journey

• Frequency of use

9. FAQ Section

• External FAQs (customer questions)

• Internal FAQs (stakeholder questions)

• Technical FAQs (implementation questions)

10. Success Metrics

• North Star metric

• Leading indicators (early signals)

• Lagging indicators (outcome metrics)

• Counter metrics (watch-outs)

• Definition of done

• Kill criteria (when to stop)

11. Technical Approach

• Architecture overview

• Key technical decisions

• Security considerations

• Performance requirements

• Integration points

12. Betting Table Decision

• Why this now (opportunity cost)

• Expected return

• Confidence level (1-10)

• Kill criteria

The Conversation Process

The PRD creation follows a slot-filling conversation:

• Initiate - Project name, version, press release headline, core problem

• Problem Exploration - Five Whys analysis to reach root cause

• Set Appetite - Time budget and constraints before solutions

• Shape Solution - Broad strokes, not pixel-perfect

• Identify Rabbit Holes - Proactive complexity identification

• Working Backwards - Customer quotes and FAQs

• Define Success - Metrics and kill criteria

• Make the Bet - Justify the investment

Slot Map Structure

{ "Product Overview": { "Project Title": "", "Version Number": "", "One-Line Description": "", "Executive Summary": "" }, "Working Backwards": { "Press Release Headline": "", "Customer Quote": "", "Internal Quote": "", "Call to Action": "" }, "Problem Definition": { "Surface Problem": "", "Five Whys Analysis": { "Why 1": "", "Why 2": "", "Why 3": "", "Why 4": "", "Why 5": "" }, "Root Cause": "", "Jobs to be Done": "", "Current Workarounds": "", "Why This Matters Now": "" }, "Appetite & Constraints": { "Time Budget": "", "Bet Type": "", "Team Size": "", "Must Have (P0)": [], "Nice to Have (P1)": [], "Won't Have (P2)": [], "Trade-off Priorities": [] }, "Solution Shape": { "Solution Overview": "", "Key Elements": [], "Fat Marker Sketches": "", "Breadboard Description": "", "What We're NOT Building": [] }, "Boundaries & Rabbit Holes": { "Out of Bounds": [], "Known Rabbit Holes": [], "Complexity Warnings": [], "Dependencies": [], "Mitigation Strategies": [] }, "Goals & Anti-Goals": { "Business Goals": [], "User Goals": [], "Anti-Goals": [], "Success Definition": "" }, "Customer & Users": { "Primary Persona": "", "Secondary Personas": [], "User Journey": "", "Frequency of Use": "" }, "FAQ Section": { "External FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}], "Internal FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}], "Technical FAQs": [{"Q": "", "A": ""}] }, "Success Metrics": { "North Star Metric": "", "Leading Indicators": [], "Lagging Indicators": [], "Counter Metrics": [], "Definition of Done": "" }, "Technical Approach": { "Architecture Overview": "", "Key Technical Decisions": [], "Security Considerations": "", "Performance Requirements": "", "Integration Points": [] }, "Betting Table Decision": { "Why This Now": "", "Opportunity Cost": "", "Expected Return": "", "Confidence Level": "", "Kill Criteria": [] } }

Final PRD Template

PRD: {project_title}

Executive Summary

Version: {version_number}
Headline: {press_release_headline}
One-liner: {one_line_description}

{executive_summary}

The Problem

What We Heard

"{surface_problem}"

Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys)

1. Why? {why_1}
2. Why? {why_2}
3. Why? {why_3}
4. Why? {why_4}
5. Why? {why_5}

Root Cause: {root_cause}

Job to be Done

{jobs_to_be_done}

Current Workarounds

{current_workarounds}

The Appetite

Time Budget: {time_budget}
Bet Type: {bet_type}
Team Size: {team_size}

Priorities

Must Have (P0): {must_have_list}

Nice to Have (P1): {nice_to_have_list}

Won't Have (P2): {wont_have_list}

Trade-offs

{trade_off_priorities}

The Solution Shape

Overview

{solution_overview}

Key Elements

{key_elements}

What We're NOT Building

{not_building_list}

Boundaries & Rabbit Holes

Known Complexity

{rabbit_holes_and_warnings}

Mitigation

{mitigation_strategies}

Working Backwards

Press Release

{press_release_headline}

"{customer_quote}" - Happy Customer

"{internal_quote}" - Product Team

{call_to_action}

FAQs

{all_faqs_formatted}

Success Criteria

North Star

{north_star_metric}

Definition of Done

{definition_of_done}

Kill Criteria

{kill_criteria}

The Bet

Why Now?

{why_this_now}

Confidence Level

{confidence_level}/10

Expected Return

{expected_return}

Key Principles

• Start with the problem, not the solution - Use Five Whys to reach root cause

• Set appetite before exploring solutions - Time budget is a constraint, not an estimate

• Identify rabbit holes early - Proactively flag complexity that could spiral

• Write from the customer's perspective - Working backwards creates clarity

• Define clear success and kill criteria - Know when to stop or pivot

• Make the bet explicit - Justify why this deserves the time investment

Usage

Invoke this skill when you need to create a comprehensive PRD. The skill will guide you through a conversational slot-filling process to gather all necessary information before generating the final document.

Example prompts:

• "Create a PRD for an AI-powered code review tool"

• "I need to define requirements for a mobile habit tracking app"

• "Help me write a product spec for a new payment feature"