The Ultimate SaaS PRD Template & Breakdown

Why Most SaaS Products Fail

They fail not because of bad code, but because of ambiguous requirements. A Product Requirements Document (PRD) is the contract between the Product Manager/Founder and the Engineering Team. It removes assumptions.

The PRD Structure

1. Executive Summary

Goal: What are we building and why? Example: "A collaborative whiteboard tool for remote teams that integrates directly with Slack." Success Metrics: "Acquire 1,000 DAU by Q3."

2. User Personas

Define exactly who you are solving for.

• The Power User (Admin): Wants keyboard shortcuts, integrations, billing controls.
• The Casual User: Wants zero friction, simple guest access.

3. Functional Requirements (The Meat)

This section maps out every feature.

Feature: User Authentication

• Priority: P0 (Blocker)
• Description: Users must be able to sign up via Email or Google.
• Acceptance Criteria:
  • [ ] User enters email/password.
  • [ ] System checks if email exists.
  • [ ] System hashes password (bcrypt).
  • [ ] User receives JWT on success.
  • [ ] "Forgot Password" flow triggers email with temporary token.

Feature: Real-time Collaboration

• Priority: P1
• Tech Constraint: Must use WebSockets (Socket.io). Latency < 50ms.

4. Database Schema (Draft)

Engineers need to know the data relationships early.

erDiagram
    USER ||--o{ PROJECT : owns
    PROJECT ||--|{ TASK : contains
    TASK }|--|| USER : assigned_to
 
    USER {
        string id PK
        string email
        string password_hash
    }
    PROJECT {
        string id PK
        string name
        boolean is_public
    }

5. UI/UX Flows (Wireframes)

Don't just write text. Show flowcharts.

• Happy Path: Login -> Dashboard -> New Project -> Invite Member.
• Edge Case: Login -> Subscription Expired -> Payment Page.

6. Technical Constraints & Non-Functional Requirements

• Performance: Dashboard must load in < 1.0s (LCP).
• Security: All PII must be encrypted at rest.
• Compliance: GDPR compliant (data export and deletion available).

Implementation Checklist

1. Draft Review: Engineering Lead reviews feasibility.
2. Design Handoff: Figma files attached to tickets.
3. Sprint Planning: Break PRD into Jira/Linear tickets.
4. UAT (User Acceptance Testing): PM verifies against PRD before launch.

A great PRD changes over time, but it starts as the bedrock of your product.