# Product Requirements
## Purpose
Generate comprehensive, actionable product requirements that translate user needs and business objectives into specific, measurable, and implementable features and capabilities. This section serves as the primary specification for development teams.
## Required Information
Before generating this section, ensure you have:
- [ ] User research insights and persona definitions
- [ ] Business objectives and success criteria
- [ ] Technical constraints and platform requirements
- [ ] Competitive analysis and market positioning
- [ ] Stakeholder requirements and priorities
- [ ] Regulatory and compliance requirements
## Section Structure
### 1. Requirements Overview & Principles
**Template:**
**Requirements Philosophy**: [Approach to requirement definition and prioritization]
**Design Principles**: [Core principles guiding product decisions]
**Success Criteria**: [How requirement success will be measured]
**Requirement Categories**: [Functional, non-functional, business, technical]
**Prioritization Framework**: [Method for ranking requirements]
**Requirements:**
- Clear requirements philosophy and approach
- Defined design principles for decision-making
- Measurable success criteria for each requirement
- Comprehensive requirement categorization
- Transparent prioritization methodology
**Design Principles Examples:**
- User-first: Always prioritize user value over internal convenience
- Simplicity: Choose the simplest solution that meets user needs
- Accessibility: Ensure product is usable by people with disabilities
- Performance: Maintain fast, responsive user experience
- Security: Protect user data and privacy by default
- Scalability: Build for future growth and expansion
**Validation Questions:**
- Do principles provide clear guidance for difficult decisions?
- Are success criteria specific and measurable?
- Is the prioritization framework objective and repeatable?
### 2. Functional Requirements
#### 2.1 Core Features
**Template for each feature:**
**Feature**: [Feature Name]
**Priority**: [Must-Have/Should-Have/Could-Have/Won't-Have]
**User Story**: As a [user type], I want [capability] so that [benefit]
**Acceptance Criteria**:
- [Specific, testable criterion 1]
- [Specific, testable criterion 2]
- [Specific, testable criterion 3]
**Business Rationale**: [Why this feature is important]
**User Value**: [Specific benefit to users]
**Dependencies**: [Other features or systems required]
**Assumptions**: [Key assumptions this feature relies on]
**Requirements:**
- Clear, specific feature descriptions
- User-centered story format
- Testable acceptance criteria
- Business justification for each feature
- Explicit dependency mapping
- Documented assumptions
**Feature Categories to Consider:**
- Core functionality (primary user workflows)
- User management (registration, authentication, profiles)
- Content management (creation, editing, organization)
- Search and discovery (finding and filtering content)
- Communication (messaging, notifications, sharing)
- Analytics and reporting (insights and data visualization)
- Administration (settings, configuration, management)
- Integration (APIs, third-party connections)
#### 2.2 User Interface Requirements
**Template:**
**Interface Type**: [Web, mobile, desktop, API]
**Key Screens/Views**: [List of primary interface elements]
**Navigation Requirements**: [How users move through the product]
**Responsive Design**: [Multi-device support requirements]
**Accessibility Standards**: [WCAG compliance level and specific requirements]
**Branding Guidelines**: [Visual identity and style requirements]
**Requirements:**
- Comprehensive interface specification
- Clear navigation and information architecture
- Multi-device and responsive design requirements
- Accessibility compliance standards
- Brand consistency guidelines
#### 2.3 Data Requirements
**Template:**
**Data Types**: [Categories of data the product will handle]
**Data Sources**: [Where data comes from - user input, APIs, imports]
**Data Storage**: [How data will be stored and organized]
**Data Processing**: [How data will be manipulated and analyzed]
**Data Export**: [How users can extract their data]
**Data Retention**: [How long data is kept and archival policies]
**Requirements:**
- Complete data model specification
- Clear data flow and processing requirements
- User data ownership and portability
- Data lifecycle management
- Backup and recovery requirements
### 3. Non-Functional Requirements
#### 3.1 Performance Requirements
**Template:**
**Response Time**: [Maximum acceptable response times for key operations]
**Throughput**: [Number of concurrent users or transactions supported]
**Scalability**: [Growth capacity and scaling requirements]
**Availability**: [Uptime requirements and acceptable downtime]
**Resource Usage**: [Memory, CPU, storage, bandwidth constraints]
**Specific Metrics Examples:**
- Page load time: < 3 seconds on 3G connection
- API response time: < 500ms for 95% of requests
- Concurrent users: Support 10,000 simultaneous users
- Uptime: 99.9% availability (8.76 hours downtime/year)
- Database queries: < 100ms for 90% of queries
#### 3.2 Security Requirements
**Template:**
**Authentication**: [User verification requirements]
**Authorization**: [Access control and permission systems]
**Data Protection**: [Encryption and data security measures]
**Privacy**: [User privacy protection and data handling]
**Compliance**: [Regulatory requirements - GDPR, HIPAA, etc.]
**Audit**: [Logging and monitoring requirements]
**Security Considerations:**
- Multi-factor authentication options
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Data encryption at rest and in transit
- Regular security audits and penetration testing
- Incident response and breach notification procedures
- User consent and data processing transparency
#### 3.3 Usability Requirements
**Template:**
**Ease of Use**: [Learnability and efficiency requirements]
**Error Prevention**: [How to prevent and handle user errors]
**Help & Documentation**: [Support and guidance requirements]
**Accessibility**: [Inclusive design requirements]
**Internationalization**: [Multi-language and localization support]
**Usability Metrics:**
- Time to complete key tasks
- Error rates and recovery time
- User satisfaction scores
- Accessibility compliance testing
- Localization coverage and quality
#### 3.4 Compatibility Requirements
**Template:**
**Browser Support**: [Supported browsers and versions]
**Device Support**: [Supported devices and screen sizes]
**Operating Systems**: [Supported OS versions]
**Integration Requirements**: [Third-party system compatibility]
**Legacy Support**: [Backward compatibility requirements]
### 4. Business Requirements
#### 4.1 Business Rules
**Template:**
**Rule**: [Business rule description]
**Rationale**: [Why this rule exists]
**Implementation**: [How the rule should be enforced]
**Exceptions**: [When the rule doesn't apply]
**Validation**: [How to verify rule compliance]
**Business Rule Categories:**
- User eligibility and access rules
- Content approval and moderation policies
- Pricing and billing rules
- Data retention and deletion policies
- Workflow and approval processes
#### 4.2 Compliance Requirements
**Template:**
**Regulation**: [Specific regulation or standard]
**Applicability**: [Which parts of the product are affected]
**Requirements**: [Specific compliance requirements]
**Implementation**: [How compliance will be achieved]
**Validation**: [How compliance will be verified]
**Documentation**: [Required compliance documentation]
**Common Compliance Areas:**
- Data privacy (GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA)
- Accessibility (ADA, WCAG, Section 508)
- Industry-specific (HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS)
- International standards (ISO 27001, SOC 2)
### 5. Technical Requirements
#### 5.1 Platform Requirements
**Template:**
**Architecture**: [High-level technical architecture]
**Technology Stack**: [Programming languages, frameworks, databases]
**Infrastructure**: [Hosting, cloud services, CDN requirements]
**APIs**: [Required integrations and API specifications]
**Development Tools**: [Required development and deployment tools]
#### 5.2 Integration Requirements
**Template:**
**Integration**: [System or service to integrate with]
**Purpose**: [Why integration is needed]
**Data Exchange**: [What data is shared and how]
**Authentication**: [How systems authenticate with each other]
**Error Handling**: [How integration failures are managed]
**Performance**: [Integration performance requirements]
### 6. Requirement Prioritization
#### 6.1 MoSCoW Prioritization
**Template:**
**Must-Have (Critical)**:
- [Requirement 1]: [Rationale for critical priority]
- [Requirement 2]: [Rationale for critical priority]
**Should-Have (Important)**:
- [Requirement 3]: [Rationale for important priority]
- [Requirement 4]: [Rationale for important priority]
**Could-Have (Nice-to-Have)**:
- [Requirement 5]: [Rationale for nice-to-have priority]
- [Requirement 6]: [Rationale for nice-to-have priority]
**Won't-Have (Out of Scope)**:
- [Requirement 7]: [Rationale for exclusion]
- [Requirement 8]: [Rationale for exclusion]
#### 6.2 Value vs. Effort Matrix
**Template:**
**High Value, Low Effort (Quick Wins)**:
- [Requirements that provide maximum ROI]
**High Value, High Effort (Major Projects)**:
- [Requirements that are strategic but resource-intensive]
**Low Value, Low Effort (Fill-ins)**:
- [Requirements that are easy to implement]
**Low Value, High Effort (Avoid)**:
- [Requirements that should be deprioritized]
### 7. Requirements Traceability
**Template:**
**Requirement ID**: [Unique identifier]
**Source**: [User need, business objective, or constraint that drives this requirement]
**Stakeholder**: [Who requested or benefits from this requirement]
**Related Requirements**: [Dependencies and relationships]
**Test Cases**: [How this requirement will be validated]
**Implementation Status**: [Current development status]
## Quality Criteria
### Requirement Quality (SMART Criteria)
- [ ] **Specific**: Clear, unambiguous description of what is required
- [ ] **Measurable**: Quantifiable success criteria and acceptance tests
- [ ] **Achievable**: Technically and practically feasible
- [ ] **Relevant**: Aligned with user needs and business objectives
- [ ] **Time-bound**: Clear timeline and milestone expectations
### Additional Quality Checks
- [ ] **Complete**: All necessary requirements identified
- [ ] **Consistent**: No contradictory requirements
- [ ] **Verifiable**: Can be tested and validated
- [ ] **Traceable**: Clear connection to source needs
- [ ] **Prioritized**: Clear importance ranking
## Cross-Reference Requirements
Ensure alignment with:
- **User Research**: Requirements address identified user needs
- **Product Overview**: Requirements support product vision and goals
- **Technical Specifications**: Requirements are technically feasible
- **Success Metrics**: Requirements support measurable outcomes
- **Implementation Plan**: Requirements align with development capacity
- **Risk Assessment**: Requirements consider identified risks
## Information Gathering Questions
If requirement details are missing, ask:
### Functional Requirements
1. What are the core user workflows and tasks?
2. What features are absolutely essential vs. nice-to-have?
3. How should users interact with the product?
4. What data does the product need to collect and process?
### Non-Functional Requirements
5. What are the performance expectations?
6. What security and privacy requirements exist?
7. What devices and browsers must be supported?
8. What accessibility requirements apply?
### Business Requirements
9. What business rules and policies must be enforced?
10. What regulatory compliance is required?
11. What are the budget and timeline constraints?
12. What integrations are required?
### Technical Requirements
13. What technical constraints exist?
14. What systems must the product integrate with?
15. What scalability requirements exist?
16. What development and deployment requirements apply?
## Common Pitfalls to Avoid
### Requirement Definition Pitfalls
- **Vague requirements**: Using ambiguous language that can be interpreted multiple ways
- **Solution-focused**: Describing how instead of what (requirements should be solution-agnostic)
- **Unmeasurable criteria**: Acceptance criteria that can't be objectively tested
- **Missing edge cases**: Failing to consider error conditions and unusual scenarios
- **Scope creep**: Adding requirements without proper evaluation and prioritization
### Prioritization Pitfalls
- **Everything is high priority**: Failing to make difficult prioritization decisions
- **Stakeholder bias**: Prioritizing based on who asks loudest rather than user value
- **Technical bias**: Prioritizing easy-to-build over high-value features
- **Feature factory**: Focusing on feature quantity over user outcomes
- **Ignoring constraints**: Prioritizing without considering resource limitations
## Edge Case Handling
### Conflicting Requirements
- Document the conflict clearly
- Identify stakeholders affected by each option
- Analyze trade-offs and implications
- Propose compromise solutions
- Escalate to decision-makers with recommendations
### Uncertain Requirements
- Mark requirements as assumptions
- Plan for validation through prototyping or user testing
- Create multiple requirement scenarios
- Build in flexibility for requirement changes
- Schedule regular requirement reviews
### Technical Constraints
- Work with technical teams to understand limitations
- Explore alternative approaches to meet user needs
- Consider phased implementation strategies
- Document technical debt and future improvement plans
- Balance ideal requirements with practical constraints
### Regulatory Requirements
- Consult with legal and compliance teams
- Research applicable regulations thoroughly
- Plan for regulatory approval processes
- Consider international regulatory variations
- Build compliance into core product design
## Validation Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- [ ] **Completeness**: All necessary requirements identified
- [ ] **Clarity**: Requirements are unambiguous and specific
- [ ] **Testability**: Acceptance criteria are measurable
- [ ] **Feasibility**: Requirements are technically achievable
- [ ] **Traceability**: Requirements link to user needs and business goals
- [ ] **Prioritization**: Requirements are properly ranked and justified
## Output Format
markdown
# Product Requirements
## Requirements Overview & Principles
[Requirements philosophy and principles]
## Functional Requirements
### Core Features
[Detailed feature requirements]
### User Interface Requirements
[UI/UX requirements]
### Data Requirements
[Data handling requirements]
## Non-Functional Requirements
### Performance Requirements
[Performance specifications]
### Security Requirements
[Security and privacy requirements]
### Usability Requirements
[Usability and accessibility requirements]
### Compatibility Requirements
[Platform and integration requirements]
## Business Requirements
### Business Rules
[Business logic and rules]
### Compliance Requirements
[Regulatory and compliance needs]
## Technical Requirements
### Platform Requirements
[Technical architecture requirements]
### Integration Requirements
[System integration specifications]
## Requirement Prioritization
[Prioritized requirement lists]
## Requirements Traceability
[Requirement tracking and relationships]
---
_Requirements version: [Version number]_
_Last updated: [Date]_
_Next review: [Scheduled review date]_
## Success Indicators
Successful product requirements should:
- Provide clear, actionable guidance for development teams
- Enable accurate project estimation and planning
- Support effective testing and quality assurance
- Facilitate stakeholder alignment and decision-making
- Serve as a contract between business and development teams