Product requirement document plays a crucial role in Internet enterprises from project approval to completion. It can make project development more orderly, greatly facilitate the communication between product managers and r&d personnel, and make knowledge transmission and inheritance more accurate and effective. It can be said that the quality of the product documentation will directly affect the overall experience of the product.
I happened to see this problem on Zhihu, but I didn’t expect that the traffic was quite high. It seems that how to write an easy-to-use product requirements document has really troubled many product and enterprise managers. Xiaobian has a little experience in this field, and I hope to share my concise ideas to help you.
The role of product requirements documentation
In some small development groups, product managers may not be able to communicate specific product development requirements to all developers. One document is needed for all project participants to read.
As developers struggle with product managers who are constantly changing their minds and changing their requirements, development documentation becomes a tool that technicians use to keep product managers in check. Documentation also allows new hires to learn about the product more quickly when the team brings them in
In summary, the product requirements document has three core functions:
- Communicate product development requirements;
- Ensure that all departments communicate well
- There are specific standards for product quality control
How to create an easy-to-use product requirements document
Thus, product requirements documentation is essential. A good requirements document should be able to accurately communicate the product development requirements. So how should the product requirements document be written to better communicate the product development requirements? Xiaobian is roughly divided into two aspects: audience and tool use.
The audience that knows the product requirements document
Before we can write an easy-to-use requirements document, we need to understand what it means and who it will be used for — the developers involved, the testers, the new members of the project.
We need to understand their viewing habits before making the product. After all, the product is not written for their appreciation but for them to understand!
- Developers’ requirements for product requirement documents: try to convert text into product prototype drawings, which need to be detailed enough. They prefer to make products by looking for requirements drawings, rather than looking for ideas in the documents.
- Requirements of testers on product demand documents: the final effect of the test steps should be clearly expressed through pictures and texts, and the requirements on steps are strict;
- Requirements of new employees on product requirement documents: detailed structural documents are required for easy reference and understanding of the overall status of the project.
In summary, to create an easy-to-use product requirements document, there are three things you need to do: create a prototype, write a structured document, and share it with the rest of the team
Using a tool
Good tools can make the development of product requirements document more efficient, small series collected some practical efficiency tools, hope to help you.
Prototype design tool -Axure RP
Axure RP is a well-known prototyping tool that allows fast and efficient prototyping while supporting collaborative design and version control.
Very good! The first draft of requirements for a product can be easily designed by dragging and dropping. The actual effect is shown in the picture below. This is a product claimed to be tailored for product managers. Those who have not experienced it must check it out. There are many online resources, and there are also related tutorials that are very convenient to teach.
Online document editing + sharing tool -Baklib
Baklib is an online document editing and content sharing tool that supports the full editing of Word documents, including tables, code blocks, images, local audio and video, and online multimedia, making knowledge creation easier.
After the creation of the product requirements document, it is necessary to conduct internal review. The use of this online production of the document content will be automatically converted into a website, through the url link can be accessed, access through different permissions in the process of setting, can effectively do the protection of internal data.
Below is the real effect schematic diagram, you can feel. The product can be edited online, with structured content stored in Baklib and presented to internal members through a website.
Product advantage
Simple and easy to use
The tool can be used online without downloading and typing in a url (low cost of trial and error). Support Word document editing operations, insert tables, code blocks, images, local audio and video, online multimedia, Markdown…
Structured document
Provide multi-level columns and label cloud functions to achieve hierarchical sorting of knowledge content, through the document outline, automatic generation of document points, so that multiple documents structured, as clear as a book, so that the requirements of the document structure layout is easier to understand.
Team collaboration + site access
This tool provides the function of multi-person online collaboration to edit documents. When there is a requirement for the content of the document to be completed by multi-party operation, it can be completed through the built-in team collaboration function. Controllable permissions of collaborative members increase work efficiency while ensuring data security.
I usually make the site private and add members who want to view the requirements document so that they can only see it. Privacy is guaranteed!
Multi-topic display + global search
Baklib provides the user with many options in the interface display, including the header and corner of the theme. At the same time joined the binding of independent domain name, or very friendly for the enterprise brand side, each theme of the home page and sub-page are equipped with a search box, for the demand document to provide a great convenience to the viewer!
Product address: Https://www.baklib.com/?utm_conten…
Hope the above sharing is helpful to you!