PRD examples: 6 PRDs, annotated

Short answer: A good PRD example shows the customer problem with its evidence, one goal you can measure, requirements by priority, what's out of scope and acceptance criteria someone can test. Below are six condensed examples: a web app, a mobile app, a backend service, payments, healthcare and a marketplace. All six come from Devplan's free PRD template.

A note before we start. We build Devplan, and every example here comes from our free PRD template. They are template examples written to show the format, so the features, names and numbers in them are illustrative. They are not PRDs from real companies.

What makes a good PRD example?

A good example shows the decisions behind each section: who asked, how many asked, what the team chose not to build and how an engineer will know the work is done. If it only shows empty headings, it's a template.

All six examples below use the same 11 sections, plus one checklist for their type of product. For the step-by-step on writing a PRD from customer feedback, read how to write a PRD.

1. Web app PRD example: Send project alerts to Slack

This is the general filled example in the PRD template. A B2B product sends risk and status alerts by email, and customers want them in Slack.

Section	Template example
Overview	Let teams receive risk and status alerts in a Slack channel they choose.
Problem and evidence	Teams miss updates because alerts only arrive by email. 17 customers asked this quarter (9 calls, 8 tickets). 3 open deals list it as a requirement.
Goal and metric	50% of active workspaces connect a Slack channel within 60 days.
Requirements	Must: post alerts to a chosen channel; respect each user's source permissions. Should: admins set alert frequency. Won't (this time): two-way replies from Slack.
Out of scope	Microsoft Teams and per-user direct messages, tracked as separate proposals.
Technical notes	Reuse the existing notifier service. Estimate: Medium, 6 to 8 days.
For AI coding agents	Acceptance: an alert posts within 1 minute of a risk being flagged. Start from notifier/slack.ts. Don't change the email alert format.
Launch plan	Beta with 5 workspaces, then everyone. Tell the 17 customers who asked.

What to notice:

• The evidence has counts and sources. "17 customers, 3 open deals" is hard to argue with. "Customers want Slack" is easy to ignore.
• Out of scope names the next obvious ask. Teams support is the first thing someone will raise in review, so the PRD answers it up front.
• The launch plan closes the loop. The customers who asked hear when it ships, which shows them their feedback went somewhere.

Where Devplan fits

The Slack alerts example follows the path Devplan runs on real feedback. Devplan reads your calls, tickets and Slack, groups the requests that ask for the same thing, and drafts the PRD from that evidence and your code. Every line links to its source, so "17 customers" opens to the actual calls and tickets, and the files to start from come from your repository.

If you'd rather write PRDs by hand, the template is free and needs no sign-up to copy.

2. Mobile app PRD example: the mobile release checklist

Pick "Mobile app" in the template and the technical notes ask for platforms, offline behaviour, app size and battery impact. The launch plan asks for store review time, a phased rollout and a forced-update policy. A mobile release checklist is added, shown here with the template's filled values.

Checklist item	Template example
Platforms	iOS 16+ and Android 12+, phones only for now
Offline	Actions queue on the device and sync on reconnect
Permissions and push	Ask after the first useful moment, not at install
App store review	Privacy labels updated; no new permissions
Release	10% phased rollout over 7 days, behind a remote flag

What to notice:

• "Phones only for now" is a scope decision. Design and QA know not to plan for tablets.
• Permission timing is a product choice. The example asks for push after the user has seen some value, instead of at install.
• The release plan assumes slow fixes. A mobile release waits for store review and people update when they like, so a remote flag lets the team switch the feature off without a new build.

3. Backend service PRD example: service levels and operations

Pick "Backend service" and the technical notes ask for the API contract, expected load, dependencies and failure modes. The launch plan asks for versioning, a gradual traffic shift and which teams depend on the service. The added section covers service levels and operations.

Checklist item	Template example
Service levels	p95 under 200 ms, 99.9% uptime, under 0.1% errors
Contract	v1 JSON over HTTPS; new fields are additive only
Dependencies	Auth service upstream; two internal consumers downstream
Failure modes	Retry with backoff, then fail safely and log
Operations	Dashboard and alerts in place; platform on-call owns it; rollback by flag

What to notice:

• The service levels are numbers. "p95 under 200 ms" can fail a test, which makes it a good acceptance criterion for an AI coding agent too.
• "Additive only" protects the consumers. Two services depend on this one, so removing or renaming a field is off the table.
• Someone owns it at 3 a.m. The on-call owner and rollback path are agreed before launch.

4. Payments PRD example: Saved cards at checkout

Pick "Payments" and the template changes users, goals and requirements, adds a payments and compliance section, and switches to this filled example.

Section	Template example
Problem and evidence	Returning customers re-enter card details every time. 212 support tickets this quarter ask to save a card. Drop-off is highest on the payment step.
Goal and metric	Payment-step drop-off down 20% within 60 days.
Requirements	Must: card details stored by the payment processor, never on our servers; no double charge if the customer taps twice; 3-D Secure where the card's bank requires it. Won't (this time): saved bank accounts.
For AI coding agents	Acceptance: a repeated request with the same idempotency key never creates a second charge. Never log or store full card numbers.
Payments and compliance	Card data stays with the processor, so PCI scope is unchanged. Daily match of the ledger against the processor's settlement report.
Launch plan	Internal cards first, then 10% of customers with a daily charge limit. Finance signs off after the first reconciliation.

What to notice:

• Compliance sits in the requirements. PCI DSS applies to anyone who stores, processes or transmits cardholder data. Leaving card details with the processor keeps your own systems out of that scope.
• The double-charge rule is testable. Same idempotency key, one charge.
• Finance is a user. A payments feature that breaks month-end reconciliation has failed, however much customers like it.

5. Healthcare PRD example: Appointment reminders by text

Pick "Healthcare" and the template adds a patient safety and compliance section, with this filled example.

Section	Template example
Problem and evidence	Clinics lose time and revenue to no-shows. 9 clinic admins raised it on calls this quarter; 14 support tickets ask for automated reminders.
Goal and metric	No-show rate down 25% at pilot clinics within 90 days.
Requirements	Must: no diagnosis or treatment details in reminders; patients can opt out; every reminder logged in the audit trail. Won't (this time): two-way chat.
For AI coding agents	Acceptance: a reminder goes out 24 hours before each booked appointment, unless the patient opted out. Never put health information in message text or logs.
Patient safety and compliance	Name, clinic, date and time only. Messaging provider under a signed HIPAA agreement. Scheduling only, not a medical device (confirmed by compliance).
Launch plan	Pilot with 2 clinics for 4 weeks, clinical review, then all clinics.

What to notice:

• Patient data is listed field by field. Anything not on the list stays out, and the agent constraint covers logs, where health data often leaks by accident.
• Every vendor is covered. The texts go through a messaging provider, so its signed agreement comes first.
• The regulation question has an answer and a name. The PRD says who confirmed it isn't a medical device, and the launch adds a clinical review.

6. Marketplace PRD example: Saved-search alerts

Pick "Marketplace" and the template adds a marketplace balance and trust section, with this filled example.

Section	Template example
Problem and evidence	Buyers find nothing new and leave, while new listings sit unseen. 31 buyers asked for alerts this quarter.
Goal and metric	Listings that sell within 30 days up from 38% to 45%.
Requirements	Must: alerts only for listings that passed review; buyers control how often they hear from us; sellers see how many buyers were alerted. Won't (this time): price-drop alerts.
Marketplace balance and trust	Buyers find listings faster; sellers get views on day one. No alerts from flagged sellers. Fees unchanged.
Launch plan	The 3 categories with the most active sellers first, then expand.

What to notice:

• Both sides get a must. The template asks for one requirement per side, so the feature can't help buyers at sellers' expense.
• The metric measures liquidity. Alert clicks are easy to count, but the share of listings that sell says whether the marketplace works better.
• Trust comes before reach. An alert vouches for a listing, so only reviewed listings qualify.

What do all good PRDs have in common?

The same parts do the work in all six:

• Evidence with counts and sources from calls, tickets and deals.
• One metric with a target and a deadline.
• A "won't (this time)" line and an out-of-scope section that name the next ask.
• A section for AI coding agents with a testable acceptance criterion, files to start from and a firm constraint.
• A launch plan that says who to tell, often the customers who asked.

Each type's checklist sits on top: platforms and store review for mobile, service levels for backend, and compliance, patient safety or marketplace balance for the industries.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good example of a PRD?

One that shows real decisions: the problem with evidence, one measurable goal, requirements by priority, what's out of scope and testable acceptance criteria. The filled examples in the Devplan PRD template follow that pattern.

What does a PRD look like?

Usually one to three pages: a header with owner, status and date, then numbered sections from the overview and problem to open questions and the launch plan.

How detailed should a PRD be?

Detailed enough that an engineer or AI coding agent can build and test it without guessing. Make the acceptance criteria and constraints exact, keep the rest short, and link to designs instead of pasting them in.

What are common PRD mistakes?

Starting from the solution, leaving out evidence, skipping out of scope, setting a goal nobody can measure and never updating it. The how to write a PRD guide covers each one.

Is there a free PRD template with examples?

Yes. The Devplan PRD template is free with no sign-up to copy, and has versions for web, mobile and backend, plus payments, healthcare and marketplace with their own filled examples. Copy it as Markdown, download it, or open it in Claude or ChatGPT.

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About the author. Chris Bee is the co-founder and CEO of Devplan.

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