I Wrote a PRD with AI and It Worked Surprisingly Well

Use my personal PRD template and AI prompt to never write a PRD from scratch again

Dear subscribers,

Today, I want to share my personal product requirements (PRD) template and how you can use AI to fill it in with real customer feedback.

The right PRD template + customer notes = magic

The truth is:

Most PMs spend far too much time writing long PRDs that nobody wants to read.

So here’s my guide to help you save time by using:

1. My personal PRD template with seven key sections

2. My AI prompt to fill in the template based on real customer feedback

3. My favorite PRD examples and AI tools

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My personal PRD template

I’ve seen many PRDs after 10+ years in product. I believe that the best PRDs are:

1. Short and to the point.

2. A living document that includes the latest insights and decisions.

3. Structured with seven key sections.

I’ve refined my PRD template to cover the above and made it available in Google Docs for easy copy and paste. Here are the seven key sections from my template:

1. Header

In the header, include:

1. Links to other essential artifacts like designs.

2. Team names of people who are working on this feature.

3. Last updated date.

Here’s an example:

2. Problem

Always start your PRD with the customer problem you’re trying to solve. Answer these questions in a few sentences:

1. Who is the customer?

2. What is the customer problem?

3. How do we know that this is a problem?

Example:

3. Goals

List one output goal for your feature and 2-3 input metrics to drive the output. Include non-goals and guardrail metrics when relevant.

Example:

4. Solution

Describe the solution and key milestones at a high level. Then, for each milestone:

1. List each feature as a user story and be concise. 

2. Mark clearly which features are P0 and P1.

3. Highlight any open topics in the requirements for async discussion.

4. Consider including a wireframe or design to bring the feature to life.

Example:

5. Launch plan

Define your launch plan (e.g., is it a staged rollout or an experiment?). For experiments, define the success criteria, eligibility, test, control, and ramp plan.

6. Meeting Notes

Take meeting notes directly in the PRD. This ensures that the latest discussions and decisions are captured in a single document.

7. Appendix

Keep your PRD short and link to a lengthy appendix with relevant information, such as customer interviews, competitive research, and supporting data.

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My AI prompt to fill in the PRD template based on real customer feedback

Now, let’s go back to this tweet that seems to have struck a nerve:

Here’s how I use AI to fill in the template with real customer feedback:

1. Draft a few bullets about the problem, goal, and solution.

2. Discuss the bullets async with both internal stakeholders and customers.

3. Use AI to draft a PRD based on my template and your raw chat logs from #2.

This process drafts a PRD with customer and stakeholder validation.

Best of all, you can do it all without a single meeting!

Let’s walk through each step with an example: