From Idea to Execution: Writing a PRD That Works - Part 2

Welcome, Reader!

This is a continuation of Part 1. If you haven’t read that yet, I recommend starting there to get the big picture on PRD strategy and the leadership perspective.

In the last post, we dove into PRD components that primarily address the needs of leadership and management—things like vision, market fit, and measurable success. Now, it’s time to get hands-on. In this post, we’ll unpack the key factors and details that matter most to engineering and design teams.

We’ll shift from high-level strategy to the nuts and bolts of how a PM translates vision into real, buildable requirements—making life easier (and output better) for the folks actually designing, building, and testing your product.

So, let’s jump in and explore what truly moves the needle for engineers and designers as you drive your product from concept to reality!

Topics covered

• User Stories

• Requirements

  • Functional

  • Non-Functional

  • Security / Compliance

  • Dependency

• Acceptance criteria

• Design/UX References

• Scope

• Out of Scope

• Mitigation plans

• Timeline

User Stories

When translating product ideas into actionable work for engineering and design, it’s easy to drown in technical details or write feature lists that miss the human angle. That’s where user stories come in—they shift the conversation from “what we’re building” to “who we’re building for and why.”

A user story is a simple, clear statement written from the perspective of the person using your product. It’s usually structured like this:

“As a [type of user], I want to [take an action] so that [I achieve a goal or solve a problem].”

Bottom line: User stories put user on front and center. Remember, we build for users.

Requirements

Put simply, requirements are anything that’s needed—or anything other teams or systems depend on—to build and ship a feature or product successfully. Think of them as your checklist for “what must be true” before you can call the work done.

Over the years, I’ve found that requirements usually fall into a few key buckets (though this can change from project to project): (Here i have considered login page)

• **Functional Requirements:**What the product or feature actually does. These define the core behavior, capabilities, and interactions.

• Example: “The app must let users reset their password via email.”

• **Non-Functional Requirements:**How the product should perform, look, or behave on the backend. This covers things like speed, scalability, reliability, localization, and usability.

• Example: “After successful login the dashboard must load in under 2 seconds for 95% of users.”

• **Security/Compliance Requirements:**Any rules that ensure your product is safe, meets industry standards, or follows laws (critical in cybersecurity).

• Example: “Login page must support 2FA/MFA, with strong password policy”

• **Dependency Requirements:**Anything your feature depends on—other teams, data sources, integrations, or external services that must be in place.

• Example: “User should have 'Signin with Google' option (OAuth login)”

Bottom line: Requirements are your roadmap for what needs to happen. Being clear (and thorough) here saves a ton of confusion and rework down the road!

Acceptance criteria

This part is crucial because it acts like a weighing scale—it clearly defines what “done” looks like for each user story or requirement.

Acceptance criteria set measurable, testable conditions that must be met for a feature or product to be considered complete and successful.

They help align expectations between PMs, engineers, designers, and QA teams, ensuring there’s no ambiguity about whether a deliverable meets the intended goals.Well-written acceptance criteria reduce misunderstandings, accelerate development, and provide clear objectives for testing and validation

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Example Acceptance Criteria:

• The user must be able to reset their password via email within 5 minutes of request.

• The reset link should only be valid for 15 minutes.

• The login page returns an error message if the password is incorrect or the username doesn't exist.

• Two-factor authentication must be triggered for login from new devices.

• 2FA must be triggered if the user deselects "Remember me for 15 days."

Bottom line:Acceptance criteria are your quality gatekeepers—they ensure you build the right thing, and build it right.

Design/UX References

This section points to all the visual and experiential elements that guide the product’s look and feel. It includes wireframes, mockups, prototypes, style guides, component libraries, and any existing UX research or usability findings that influence the design decisions.

What to include:

• Links to design files (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, etc.) (I have only used Figma)

• Style guides and brand guidelines (If you are starting/working on a fresh product this is very important, or if you are part of established organisation you have to refer internal documents)

• User flow diagrams, wireframe (I prefer https://wireframe.cc/) and journey maps

Example:“Refer to the onboarding flow prototype in Figma: [link] and the company style guide version 3.2 for typography and color standards.”

Bottom line: Including thorough design/UX references ensures your team consistently delivers user experiences that match your product vision—saving time, reducing confusion, and improving end results.

Scope

Defining a clear and proper scope is essential—it lays out exactly what your product or feature will (and won’t) do, adding crucial clarity on objectives and boundaries.

What to include:

• Specific features, functionalities, or user segments that are included

• Deliverables and milestones that must be achieved

• Any constraints or limitations relevant to scope

Example:“For the initial release, this login feature will support email/password authentication and OAuth login via Google. SMS-based MFA and biometric login are out of scope for this phase.”

Out of Scope

Just as important as defining what’s in scope is clearly stating what’s out of scope. This section sets boundaries on what the product or feature will not address in the current phase, helping to manage expectations and avoid scope creep.

What to include:

• Features, functions, or user segments explicitly excluded from this release or project.

• Any assumptions about what won’t be tackled in this phase.

• Clarifications on dependencies that won’t be addressed.

Example:“Biometric login and SMS-based MFA are out of scope for this release, but will be considered in later phases. For current phase we will only have 'Login with Google' whereas 'Login with Facebook' will be provided in next phase"

Mitigation Plans

This section outlines how you plan to address known risks, challenges, or uncertainties that could impact your product or feature delivery. Having clear strategies in place for potential issues helps reduce surprises and keeps the project on track.

What to include:

• Identified risks and their potential impact.

• Specific mitigation actions or fallback plans.

• Owners or responsible teams for executing the mitigation.

• Contingency timelines or criteria for activating the plan.

Example:“If the authentication API integration is delayed, we will use a temporary mock server for testing, and adjust the release schedule accordingly. Team X will be responsible for this mitigation plan.”

Timeline

This section outlines the key milestones, deadlines, and phases for your product or feature development. A clear timeline helps the team stay on target and ensures stakeholders know when to expect progress or delivery.

What to include:

• Major phases (e.g., discovery, design, development, testing, launch)

• Key milestones and deadlines

• Dependencies that might impact timelines

• Buffers or contingency time for unexpected delays

Example:

Design phase: May 1 - May 15

Development phase: May 16 - June 30

Testing & QA: July 1 - July 15

Launch: July 20

Bottom line: Establishing a clear timeline creates transparency and accountability, helping your team deliver on time and with fewer surprises.

Conclusion

Writing a comprehensive PRD is both an art and a science. It requires clear thinking, a deep understanding of your users and market, and strong collaboration across teams.

Remember, a PRD isn’t a one-time document. It’s a living blueprint that should evolve as you learn, test, and iterate. Be open to feedback and ready to adapt.

At the end of the day, the goal is simple: build the right product, for the right users, at the right time, with as little friction as possible.

Have user centric approach, data driven decision and collaborate closely with your team. That’s how great products happen.

Hope you enjoyed and learned, Thanks for reading so far !