Ref-005: PRD Template Structure & Authoring Process

Type

Reference Documentation

Purpose

Defines the canonical template structure for Product Requirements Documents (PRDs) and the process for generating them within the SEA-Forge™ ecosystem.

Template Structure

Required Sections

PRD-XXX — [Feature Name]

Overview

Feature: Brief description of the feature
Business Value: Why this feature matters
Target Users: Who will use this feature
Priority: High Medium Low
Status: Planned In Progress Implemented Deferred

User Stories

As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit]
[Additional user stories as needed]

Acceptance Criteria

Specific, measurable criteria for completion
Additional criterion
Additional criterion

Success Metrics

KPI 1: Metric and target value
KPI 2: Metric and target value

Dependencies

Depends on: [PRD-XXX, ADR-XXX]
Blocks: [PRD-XXX]

ADR: [ADR-XXX]
SDS: [SDS-XXX]
TS: [TS-XXX]

Authoring Process

Generation Methods

PRDs can be generated through the following approved workflows:

Chat Mode Integration
- Use @workspace #spec.lean for focused PRD generation
- Use @workspace #spec.wide for comprehensive context-aware PRDs
Prompt-Based Generation
- Execute .github/prompts/spec.plan.prd.prompt.md
- Ensures consistency and completeness
Manual Creation
- Follow the template structure defined above
- Ensure all required sections are populated

Status Lifecycle

Planned → In Progress → Implemented
         ↓
      Deferred

Priority Levels

Priority	Definition	Typical Use
High	Critical for core functionality or business goals	MVP features, security, compliance
Medium	Important but not blocking	Quality-of-life improvements, secondary features
Low	Nice-to-have enhancements	Future iterations, experimental features

User Story Format

Follow the canonical format:

As a [user type/persona],
I want to [action/capability],
so that [benefit/value].

Acceptance Criteria Guidelines

Use checkboxes for trackability
Must be specific and measurable
Should be testable (can inform test cases)
Include error handling and edge cases where relevant

Success Metrics Best Practices

Define quantitative KPIs where possible
Set realistic target values
Align metrics with business value
Ensure metrics are measurable with available tooling

Dependency Management

Depends on: Prerequisites that must be completed first
Blocks: Features that cannot proceed until this PRD is implemented
Always reference by spec ID (PRD-XXX, ADR-XXX, SDS-XXX, TS-XXX)

Traceability Requirements

Each PRD MUST:

Link to related ADRs (architectural decisions)
Reference associated SDS (design specifications)
Cross-reference related TS (technical specifications)
Maintain bidirectional links for audit trails

Example: OAuth2 Authentication

See template source for canonical example (PRD-001):

Feature: OAuth2 with Google and GitHub
Business Value: Secure access without password management
User Stories: Sign-up and login flows
Acceptance Criteria: Provider integration, session management, error handling
Success Metrics: Conversion rate >70%, success rate >99.5%, satisfaction >4.5/5