Product Requirements Document (PRD)
A Product Requirements Document (PRD) is a structured specification that describes what you're building before you write any code. When working with AI coding assistants, PRDs dramatically improve output quality by giving the AI complete context upfront.
This guide covers a PRD template system with an index file plus 7 specification documents, designed specifically for AI-assisted development workflows.
Why PRDs matter for AI-assisted development
AI coding assistants produce better results when they have clear, structured context. Without a PRD, you end up in a cycle of vague prompts, incorrect output, corrections, and re-prompts. With a PRD, the AI gets the full picture on the first pass.
Without a PRD:
Build me a task management feature.
The AI guesses at database schema, invents its own API conventions, and misses your business rules. You spend more time correcting than coding.
With a PRD:
/plan Read the PRD documents in docs/prd/task-management/ and plan the
implementation of Phase 1 from PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS.md.
Research the existing codebase and propose an approach before writing any code.
The AI reads your requirements, studies the codebase, and proposes an implementation plan you can review. Once you approve, it builds exactly what you specified.
Key benefits:
- Eliminates ambiguity. Every field, endpoint, and business rule is defined before implementation begins.
- Reduces wasted iterations. The AI doesn't have to guess your intent; it reads it.
- Creates a shared reference. The PRD serves as documentation for both humans and AI assistants.
- Enables step-by-step implementation. Each phase builds on the last, with clear checkpoints.
The template system
The template system splits a feature specification into an index file plus 7 focused documents. Each has a clear purpose and audience.
| Document | Purpose | Primary audience |
|---|---|---|
| 00-INDEX | Navigation hub, feature summary, key decisions | Everyone |
| 01-OVERVIEW | Vision, scope, success criteria, high-level wireframes, technical notes | Product owners, developers |
| 02-BUSINESS-LOGIC | Domain terms, user stories, acceptance criteria, rules, test cases | Product owners, developers |
| 03-DATABASE-SCHEMA | SQL definitions, indexes, TypeScript interfaces | Developers |
| 04-API-ENDPOINTS | REST API specification with request/response types | Developers |
| 05-FRONTEND-UI | Detailed wireframes, component specs, interaction patterns, responsive behavior | Developers, designers |
| 06-IMPLEMENTATION | Code architecture, directory structure, integration points | Developers |
| 07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS | Phased task list with dependencies | Developers, AI assistants |
Why separate documents? Splitting the PRD into focused files keeps each document manageable and lets you feed specific sections to an AI assistant without overloading its context window. When Claude Code needs to implement API endpoints, you point it at the API document. When it needs database schema, you point it at the schema document.
AI-friendly features built into the templates:
- HTML comments (
<!-- ... -->) contain instructions for the author, guiding what to write in each section - Placeholder brackets (
[Feature Name],[Entity]) mark values you need to replace - ASCII wireframes in Overview (high-level) and Frontend UI (detailed) give AI assistants a visual spec to implement against
- Component specifications in the Frontend UI document define props, variants, and behavior for each UI component
- Test cases in the Business Logic document can be directly translated into automated tests
- Implementation Steps serve as a task list that AI assistants can follow sequentially
How to use the templates
Step 1: Download the template folder
Download the templates from the docs site into your project:
mkdir -p docs/prd/my-feature
for f in PRD-00-INDEX PRD-01-OVERVIEW PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC PRD-03-DATABASE-SCHEMA PRD-04-API-ENDPOINTS PRD-05-FRONTEND-UI PRD-06-IMPLEMENTATION PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS; do
curl -s "https://docs.arantic.com/prd-templates/${f}.md" -o "docs/prd/my-feature/${f}.md"
done
Or download them individually from the Download the templates section below.
Step 2: Rename the prefix (optional)
If you prefer feature-specific names, replace the PRD- prefix with your feature abbreviation:
PRD-00-INDEX.md -> FEAT-00-INDEX.md
PRD-01-OVERVIEW.md -> FEAT-01-OVERVIEW.md
PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md -> FEAT-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md
...
Or let your AI assistant handle the renaming and link updates in one step:
Rename all files in docs/prd/ by replacing the PRD- prefix with <FEAT->.
Then update every cross-document link inside those files so they reference the new filenames.
Replace <FEAT> with your own abbreviation and docs/prd/ with your actual folder path.
Step 3: Start with the idea
Download requirements.md, place it at the root of your project, and fill in what you know. You do not need to answer every question. Leave sections blank if they do not apply. The more detail you provide, the less the AI will need to assume when generating the PRDs.
Or download it directly into your project root from the terminal:
curl -s "https://docs.arantic.com/prd-templates/requirements.md" -o requirements.md
Step 4: Generate all PRDs with one prompt
Point your AI assistant at requirements.md and the PRD template folder you created in step 1 (docs/prd/).
Small feature (UI change, single endpoint, no schema changes):
Read requirements.md and all templates in docs/prd/.
This is a small feature. Only generate the documents that are relevant:
PRD-01-OVERVIEW.md, PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md, and PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS.md.
Skip documents that do not apply. Follow the template structure.
Medium feature (new module, database changes, multiple endpoints):
Read requirements.md and all templates in docs/prd/.
Generate the full PRD set based on the requirements:
- PRD-01-OVERVIEW.md (vision, goals, scope)
- PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md (user stories, acceptance criteria)
- PRD-03-DATABASE-SCHEMA.md (data model and relationships)
- PRD-04-API-ENDPOINTS.md (routes, request/response shapes)
- PRD-05-FRONTEND-UI.md (page wireframes, component specs, interaction flows)
- PRD-06-IMPLEMENTATION.md (architecture decisions and constraints)
- PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS.md (phased build plan)
Follow the template structure for each file. Flag anything unclear.
Large feature (cross-cutting, multiple systems, significant complexity):
Read requirements.md and all templates in docs/prd/.
This is a large, complex feature. Generate the full PRD set with extra depth:
expand edge cases in PRD-02, detail all data relationships in PRD-03,
specify every endpoint variant in PRD-04, and break PRD-07 into fine-grained
phases with clear dependencies between them.
Flag any architectural decisions that need a human decision before proceeding.
Step 5: Review and refine until complete
Read through all generated PRD files and check for gaps, incorrect assumptions, or missing details. Then prompt the AI to refine:
Read all PRD files in docs/prd/.
Review them for consistency, gaps, and missing details.
List everything that is unclear, contradictory, or incomplete.
Address the issues — either by updating requirements.md with more detail and re-running Step 4, or by giving the AI direct corrections:
Update PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md: the approval flow requires two approvers, not one.
Also add an edge case for expired sessions to PRD-04-API-ENDPOINTS.md.
Repeat this review cycle until every section is accurate and complete. The PRDs are the contract between you and the AI coder — vague documents produce vague code.
:::tip Large features benefit from Agent Teams When the scope is large, consider running multiple specialized AI agents in parallel rather than a single agent working sequentially. Each agent can own one part of the PRD and work simultaneously, which significantly reduces the time to a complete, consistent document set. See Agent Teams for how to set this up. :::
Download the templates
Each template is a Markdown file with section headings, placeholder text, and HTML comments explaining what to write in each section. Download them individually or grab them all at once.
Download all templates (ZIP)| Template | Description | Download |
|---|---|---|
| PRD-00-INDEX | Master index and navigation | PRD-00-INDEX.md |
| PRD-01-OVERVIEW | Vision, scope, high-level wireframes | PRD-01-OVERVIEW.md |
| PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC | User stories, domain rules, test cases | PRD-02-BUSINESS-LOGIC.md |
| PRD-03-DATABASE-SCHEMA | Table definitions, indexes, TypeScript types | PRD-03-DATABASE-SCHEMA.md |
| PRD-04-API-ENDPOINTS | REST API specifications | PRD-04-API-ENDPOINTS.md |
| PRD-05-FRONTEND-UI | Detailed wireframes, component specs, interactions | PRD-05-FRONTEND-UI.md |
| PRD-06-IMPLEMENTATION | Architecture, directory structure | PRD-06-IMPLEMENTATION.md |
| PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS | Phased implementation plan | PRD-07-IMPLEMENTATION-STEPS.md |