Brainforge Knowledge

PRD-TEMPLATE

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PRD Template (Product Requirements Document)

Use this template to define the full scope of your MVP. The PRD completes Layer 1 planning — it answers what you’re building, while CLAUDE.md answers how.

Create this FIRST for new projects. It guides everything: global rules, on-demand context, and individual feature plans (Layer 2).

Critical Warning: Do NOT use this PRD as a single execution plan. Break it into granular Layer 2 plans (one per PIV loop). AI coding assistants get overwhelmed if you send the full scope into implementation at once.

Product Requirements Document: {Product Name}

Executive Summary

{Product Name} is {one sentence describing what the product does and for whom}.

MVP Goal: {One sentence defining the minimum viable product outcome.}

Mission

{What the product does and why it matters. 2-3 sentences max.}

Core Principles

  1. {Principle 1} — {brief explanation}
  2. {Principle 2} — {brief explanation}
  3. {Principle 3} — {brief explanation}

Target Users

{User persona} who want to:

  • {Primary need 1}
  • {Primary need 2}
  • {Primary need 3}

Technical Comfort Level: {What level of technical knowledge is expected?}

MVP Scope

In Scope

Core Functionality:

  • {Feature 1}
  • {Feature 2}
  • {Feature 3}

Technical:

  • {Technical requirement 1}
  • {Technical requirement 2}

Integration:

  • {Integration point 1}

Deployment:

  • {Deployment approach}

Out of Scope (Future Considerations)

  • {Feature explicitly excluded from MVP}
  • {Feature explicitly excluded from MVP}
  • {Feature explicitly excluded from MVP}

User Stories

Primary User Stories

  1. As a {user type}, I want to {action}, so that {benefit}.

    • Example: “{concrete usage example}”

  2. As a {user type}, I want to {action}, so that {benefit}.

    • Example: “{concrete usage example}”

  3. As a {user type}, I want to {action}, so that {benefit}.

    • Example: “{concrete usage example}“

Technical User Stories

  1. As a {user type}, I want to {action}, so that {benefit}.
  2. As a {user type}, I want to {action}, so that {benefit}.

Core Architecture & Patterns

Architecture: {Architecture Name}

project-root/
├── {directory structure showing key directories}
├── {and their purposes}
└── {keep it scannable}

Key Patterns

1. {Pattern Name}

  • {How this pattern works in the project}

2. {Pattern Name}

  • {How this pattern works in the project}

3. {Pattern Name}

  • {How this pattern works in the project}

Technology Stack

Backend / Frontend / Core

  • {Technology} — {purpose}
  • {Technology} — {purpose}
  • {Technology} — {purpose}

Optional Dependencies

  • {Technology} — {purpose}

Security & Configuration

Authentication

{Describe auth approach for MVP — keep it simple.}

Configuration Management

Environment Variables (.env):

# {Category}
VARIABLE_NAME=value  # Description
 
# {Category}
VARIABLE_NAME=value  # Description

Security Scope

In Scope:

  • {Security feature included in MVP}

Out of Scope (Keep Simple):

  • {Security feature NOT in MVP}

API Specification

Endpoint: {METHOD} {path}

Request:

{
  "example": "request body"
}

Response:

{
  "example": "response body"
}

{Add more endpoints as needed.}

Success Criteria

MVP Success Definition

Functional Requirements:

  • {Measurable criterion 1}
  • {Measurable criterion 2}
  • {Measurable criterion 3}

Quality Indicators:

  • {Quality metric 1}
  • {Quality metric 2}

User Experience:

  • {UX goal 1}
  • {UX goal 2}

Implementation Phases

Phase 1: {Phase Name} (Week {X})

Goal: {One sentence goal}

Deliverables:

  • {Deliverable 1}
  • {Deliverable 2}

Validation: {How to verify this phase is complete}

Phase 2: {Phase Name} (Week {X})

Goal: {One sentence goal}

Deliverables:

  • {Deliverable 1}
  • {Deliverable 2}

Validation: {How to verify this phase is complete}

Phase 3: {Phase Name} (Week {X})

Goal: {One sentence goal}

Deliverables:

  • {Deliverable 1}
  • {Deliverable 2}

Validation: {How to verify this phase is complete}

Future Considerations (Post-MVP)

Potential Enhancements:

  • {Enhancement 1}
  • {Enhancement 2}
  • {Enhancement 3}

Integration Opportunities:

  • {Integration 1}
  • {Integration 2}

Risks & Mitigations

Risk: {Risk Name}

Mitigation: {How to handle it}

Risk: {Risk Name}

Mitigation: {How to handle it}

Risk: {Risk Name}

Mitigation: {How to handle it}

Appendix

  • {Link to detailed specs, tool designs, or reference materials}

Key Dependencies

  • {Dependency}: {URL}

Repository Structure

project-root/
├── {final directory layout}
└── {showing where everything lives}

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