Write product specs and PRDs that engineers actually use

Product specs have a reputation problem. Engineers complain they are either too vague to build from or so long nobody reads them. Product managers complain that they spend days writing documents that are ignored. A good spec is neither: it is a short, clear tool for shared understanding that saves the team time.

What you will learn

This course takes you through every part of a modern product requirements document, using a real style example: adding team permissions to a project management tool.

• What a spec is for and how long it should be
• Writing problem, goals and non goals sections that focus the team
• User stories and acceptance criteria that remove ambiguity
• Edge cases, error states and non functional requirements
• User flows, diagrams and analytics requirements
• Running spec reviews and handling disagreement with engineering
• Keeping specs useful after launch

Templates included

You get three templates: a one page spec for small features, a full PRD for larger projects and a review checklist. Each section of the course fills in part of the permissions spec, so by the end you have a complete example to compare with your own work.

This course is for product managers who already know the basics of the role and want to communicate better with engineering and design. Engineers and designers who write specs or technical proposals will also find it useful. We also look at using AI writing assistants to draft and critique specs, with an honest view of where they help and where they mislead.