# Initial Requirements Gathering
## Purpose
This prompt conducts comprehensive information gathering before PRD creation begins. ALL information must be collected and validated before proceeding to any PRD sections.
## Critical Instructions
- **ASK ALL QUESTIONS** - Do not skip any category
- **DOCUMENT ASSUMPTIONS** for any missing information
- **VALIDATE RESPONSES** for consistency and completeness
- **FLAG UNCERTAINTIES** clearly for stakeholder clarification
- **CROSS-CHECK** related answers for conflicts
## Comprehensive Questionnaire
### A. Business Context & Strategy
#### A1. Company & Product Context
1. What is your company's mission and core business?
2. How does this product fit into your overall business strategy?
3. What is your company's current market position?
4. What are your primary revenue streams?
5. Who are your main competitors and how do you differentiate?
#### A2. Business Objectives
1. What specific business problems is this product solving?
2. What are the primary business goals for this product?
3. What are the success criteria from a business perspective?
4. What is the expected ROI and timeline for achieving it?
5. How does this product support broader company objectives?
#### A3. Market Context
1. What is the total addressable market (TAM) size?
2. What is your serviceable addressable market (SAM)?
3. What market trends are driving the need for this product?
4. What regulatory or compliance requirements apply?
5. What are the key market risks and opportunities?
### B. Product Vision & Scope
#### B1. Product Definition
1. What is the core product concept in one sentence?
2. What is the primary value proposition?
3. What problem does this product solve for users?
4. How is this product different from existing solutions?
5. What is the product's unique selling proposition?
#### B2. Product Scope
1. What features are absolutely essential (MVP)?
2. What features are important but not critical?
3. What features are nice-to-have for future versions?
4. What is explicitly OUT of scope for this version?
5. What integrations or partnerships are required?
#### B3. Product Strategy
1. What is the go-to-market strategy?
2. What is the pricing strategy and model?
3. What is the product lifecycle and evolution plan?
4. How will the product be supported and maintained?
5. What is the sunset/migration strategy for legacy systems?
### C. User & Customer Analysis
#### C1. Target Users
1. Who are the primary users of this product?
2. Who are the secondary users or stakeholders?
3. What are the key user demographics and characteristics?
4. What are the primary user goals and motivations?
5. What are the main user pain points and frustrations?
#### C2. User Behavior & Context
1. How do users currently solve this problem?
2. What is the typical user workflow or process?
3. In what context/environment will users use this product?
4. What devices/platforms will users primarily use?
5. What is the expected user expertise level?
#### C3. Customer Journey
1. How do users discover and evaluate solutions?
2. What is the typical decision-making process?
3. Who are the key decision-makers and influencers?
4. What are the main adoption barriers?
5. What drives user retention and loyalty?
### D. Technical Context & Constraints
#### D1. Technical Environment
1. What existing systems must this product integrate with?
2. What is the current technology stack and architecture?
3. What are the performance and scalability requirements?
4. What are the security and compliance requirements?
5. What are the data privacy and protection requirements?
#### D1.1. SRE & Reliability Requirements
1. What are the availability and reliability requirements (SLAs)?
2. What are the acceptable error rates and performance targets?
3. What is the current operational maturity and SRE experience?
4. What monitoring and observability tools are currently in use?
5. What incident response and on-call procedures exist?
6. What are the disaster recovery and business continuity requirements?
#### D1.2. Performance & Scale Requirements
1. What are the expected peak load and traffic patterns?
2. What are the performance requirements (latency, throughput)?
3. What are the scalability requirements (users, data, geography)?
4. What caching and content delivery requirements exist?
5. What database performance and scaling requirements apply?
#### D2. Technical Constraints
1. What technical limitations or constraints exist?
2. What legacy systems must be supported?
3. What are the infrastructure and hosting requirements?
4. What are the backup and disaster recovery requirements?
5. What monitoring and analytics capabilities are needed?
#### D3. Development Context
1. What is the current development team composition?
2. What development methodologies are used?
3. What tools and platforms are currently in use?
4. What are the testing and quality assurance processes?
5. What are the deployment and release processes?
### E. Resource & Timeline Context
#### E1. Budget & Resources
1. What is the total budget for this product?
2. What team members are available for this project?
3. What external resources or vendors are needed?
4. What tools, licenses, or infrastructure costs are required?
5. What ongoing operational costs are expected?
#### E2. Timeline & Milestones
1. What is the target launch date?
2. What are the key milestone dates and dependencies?
3. What external deadlines or events drive the timeline?
4. What are the consequences of delays?
5. What is the minimum viable timeline?
#### E3. Success Metrics & KPIs
1. How will product success be measured?
2. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs)?
3. What metrics will be tracked and how often?
4. What are the success thresholds and targets?
5. How will user satisfaction be measured?
## Information Validation Checklist
### Completeness Check
- [ ] All sections have responses
- [ ] No critical information gaps
- [ ] Assumptions documented for missing data
- [ ] Stakeholder contacts identified for clarification
### Consistency Check
- [ ] Business objectives align with product scope
- [ ] User needs match proposed features
- [ ] Technical constraints align with requirements
- [ ] Timeline realistic given scope and resources
- [ ] Budget sufficient for proposed scope
### Feasibility Check
- [ ] Technical requirements are achievable
- [ ] Timeline is realistic
- [ ] Resources are adequate
- [ ] Market assumptions are reasonable
- [ ] Business model is viable
## Information Repository Template
Create a structured information repository with:
### Business Context Summary
- Company mission and strategy
- Market context and competitive landscape
- Business objectives and success criteria
### Product Definition Summary
- Core product concept and value proposition
- Scope and feature prioritization
- Go-to-market and pricing strategy
### User Profile Summary
- Primary and secondary user personas
- User goals, pain points, and behaviors
- Customer journey and decision process
### Technical Context Summary
- System architecture and integrations
- Performance and security requirements
- Development and deployment context
### Resource Summary
- Budget and team composition
- Timeline and key milestones
- Success metrics and KPIs
## Next Steps Protocol
### If Information is Complete:
1. Validate all responses for consistency
2. Create comprehensive information repository
3. Proceed to PRD section development
4. Reference this repository throughout the process
### If Information is Incomplete:
1. Document specific gaps and assumptions
2. Identify stakeholders for clarification
3. Create interim assumption framework
4. Proceed with documented limitations
5. Flag for stakeholder review and validation
### If Conflicts are Identified:
1. Document all conflicting information
2. Analyze implications of each perspective
3. Identify decision-makers for resolution
4. Propose resolution strategies
5. Escalate for stakeholder decision
**CRITICAL**: Do not proceed to PRD section development until this information gathering is complete and validated.