PRD for Agents

Use this skill whenever an agent or user asks to write, draft, create, or produce a PRD, product requirements document, product spec, or feature spec — especially when the output will be consumed by an AI coding agent, developer agent, or multi-agent pipeline rather than a human PM. Also trigger when asked to "write requirements for X", "spec out X", "define what needs to be built for X", or "create a handoff doc for Developer". This skill produces agent-optimized PRDs that include quantitative success metrics, user stories, open questions, risks, dependencies, and a sequenced build order that a Developer agent can execute directly without clarification. Always use this skill in preference to writing a PRD from scratch — it enforces completeness gaps that generic PRDs miss.

Produces industry-standard, agent-optimized Product Requirements Documents. Built for turning a vision or idea into a specification that AI agents can build from directly — structured, complete, and executable without the agent needing to ask clarifying questions.

When to Use This Skill

• Writing a new PRD for any project or feature
• Reviewing or upgrading an existing PRD for completeness
• Preparing a handoff document from Architect → Developer agent
• Publishing a PRD to GitHub for community or open-source projects

Output Structure

Every PRD produced by this skill follows this exact section order. Load references/prd-sections.md for detailed guidance on each section. Load references/prd-examples.md for annotated examples of each section done well.

text

1.  Header Block
2.  Problem Statement
3.  Target Users & Jobs-to-be-Done
4.  User Stories
5.  Feature List (MVP + Post-MVP)
6.  Acceptance Criteria
7.  Quantitative Success Metrics
8.  Data Schema / API Contracts
9.  File & Folder Structure
10. Agent Build Order (sequenced)
11. Phase Map (for projects with >5 features)
12. Assumptions
13. Open Questions
14. Dependencies
15. Risks
16. Out of Scope

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Quick Reference: The Gaps Most PRDs Miss

These eight sections are present in industry-standard PRDs but missing from most agent-generated ones. Always include all eight.

1. User Stories

Format: As a [user type], I want to [action], so that [outcome]. Each story must be independently testable. Pair every Feature (F1, F2…) with at least one user story. See references/prd-sections.md#user-stories.

2. Quantitative Success Metrics

Every metric must have a number, a unit, and a date. ❌ "Dashboard is fast" ✅ "Dashboard loads in < 2s on a 10-project workspace by 2026-06-01" See references/prd-sections.md#success-metrics.

3. Dependencies

List what this project requires that it does not own:

• External APIs or services
• Other projects or features that must ship first
• Infrastructure (runtime, database, auth)
• People or approvals Format: | Dependency | Type | Owner | Required By | Risk if Late |

4. Open Questions

Unresolved decisions that could change scope or design. Each question needs:

• The question itself
• Who owns the answer
• A deadline (or "before Developer starts")
• Impact if unresolved Format: | # | Question | Owner | Deadline | Impact if Unresolved |

Routing rule: Any OQ with deadline "before Developer starts" must be resolved by Main before this PRD is approved. Tag the PRD submission #CLARIFY if any such OQs exist. Do not route to Developer until all are resolved.

5. Risks

Threats to delivery, quality, or adoption. Each risk needs a likelihood, impact, and mitigation. Format: | Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |

6. Agent Build Order

A numbered sequence of tasks in the order a Developer agent should execute them. This is the most critical section for agent handoff — without it, Developer agents pick up tasks out of order and create integration failures. Format: | Step | Task | Feature | Complexity | Depends On |

7. Assumptions

Beliefs the Architect holds as true that have not been explicitly confirmed by Main. Different from Open Questions — assumptions have a working answer, they just need confirmation before they corrupt downstream work silently. Format: | # | Assumption | Confidence | Confirm With | Impact if Wrong |

Routing rule: Any assumption with confidence < High, or any assumption whose "Impact if Wrong" would change architecture or scope, must be confirmed by Main before PRD approval. Tag the PRD submission #CLARIFY if any such assumptions exist.

8. Phase Map

Required for projects with more than 5 MVP features. Breaks the build into phases so Developer works on Phase 1 only, while Main can validate that the overall sequence makes sense before committing to Phase 1 architecture. Format: | Phase | Scope summary | Depends On | Target | Status |

Routing rule: Main must validate the Phase Map before Developer starts Phase 1. Key question Main must answer: "Does Phase 1 deliver standalone value, and would Phase 2+ requirements change the Phase 1 architecture?" If yes — revise before build.

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PRD Completeness Checklist

Run this checklist before marking a PRD as ready for Developer handoff. A PRD missing any ✅ item should be sent back to Architect.

Structure

• Header block includes: Project, Version, Status, Author, Approved By, Date
• Problem statement supported by evidence or data, not just assertion
• Target users defined as roles with jobs-to-be-done, not just names
• Every MVP feature has at least one user story
• Every user story has a corresponding acceptance criterion
• Post-MVP items are explicitly listed (not just "future work")

Metrics

• Every success metric has a numeric target
• Every success metric has a unit (seconds, %, count, etc.)
• Every success metric has a target date or milestone
• North Star metric is identified (the one metric that matters most)

Handoff Readiness (Agent-Specific)

• Data schema or API contracts are defined (even if minimal)
• File and folder structure is specified
• Agent build order is present and sequenced
• No task in the build order depends on an unresolved open question
• All dependencies are listed with owners and risk flags

Risk & Uncertainty

• Assumptions section present with confidence levels and impact if wrong
• Any assumption with confidence < High flagged for Main confirmation
• Open questions section present (state "None" explicitly if empty)
• Any OQ with deadline "before Developer starts" flagged with #CLARIFY
• Risks section present with mitigations
• If >5 MVP features: Phase Map present and validated by Main

PRD Review Loop

When Main responds to #CLARIFY submissions, Architect must:

• Confirms as-is → mark resolved, no PRD change, continue to approval
• Scoped correction (changes specific sections) → update affected sections, increment version x.y, re-run checklist on changed sections, re-submit
• Broad correction (changes architecture, scope, or phase structure) → full PRD revision, increment version x+1.0, full re-submit
• Max 3 loops — if unresolved after 3 iterations, escalate to human operator

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Writing Principles

These principles apply regardless of project type or domain.

Start with the problem, not the solution. The problem statement should be provable without the proposed solution existing. If removing the feature list makes the problem statement collapse, rewrite it.

Requirements describe what, not how. "The system sends a confirmation email" ✅ "The system uses SendGrid to send a confirmation email" ❌ (that's architecture)

One requirement = one thing. If an acceptance criterion contains "and", split it into two criteria.

Testability is mandatory. Every acceptance criterion must be verifiable by QA without human judgment. "The UI is clean" is not testable. "All form fields have labels accessible to screen readers" is testable.

Metrics need baselines. A target without a baseline is unmeasurable. If no baseline exists, state "Baseline to be established in first two weeks of development."

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Reference Files

File	Load When
references/prd-sections.md	Writing or reviewing any PRD section in detail
references/prd-examples.md	Need annotated examples of well-written sections

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Common Commands

text

# Draft a new PRD from a brief
"Write a PRD for [project/feature description]"

# Upgrade an existing PRD
"Review this PRD for completeness gaps" → run checklist above

# Handoff readiness check
"Is this PRD ready for Developer?" → run Handoff Readiness + Risk & Uncertainty checklists

# Clarify submission (when OQs or assumptions need Main resolution)
"Submit this PRD for clarification" → tag #CLARIFY, list unresolved items for Main

# Specific section help
"Write the user stories for this PRD" → load references/prd-sections.md#user-stories
"Write success metrics for this PRD" → load references/prd-sections.md#success-metrics
"Write the assumptions for this PRD" → load references/prd-sections.md#assumptions
"Write the phase map for this PRD"   → load references/prd-sections.md#phase-map