Prd Interview

PRD Interview Skill

Guide comprehensive interviews to transform rough ideas into actionable Product Requirements Documents through structured discovery across 8 categories.

Core Interview Process

Interview Flow

1. Initial Prompt: Capture the base idea in user's own words 2. Category-Based Discovery: Work through relevant categories using AskUserQuestion 3. Adaptive Branching: Skip irrelevant questions based on context 4. Progressive Summarization: Summarize after each category before moving on 5. Document Generation: Create the final PRD with Mermaid diagrams 6. Task Integration: Offer to generate hierarchical tasks via taskmanager

Interview Categories

Conduct interviews across these 8 categories (adapt based on PRD type):

Question Guidelines

When using AskUserQuestion:

• Ask 2-4 questions per round maximum
• Provide concrete options when possible
• Enable multiSelect for non-mutually-exclusive choices
• Include "Other" automatically (tool handles this)
• Use short headers (max 12 chars)

Adaptive Branching Rules

Skip categories based on context:

• Internal tool: Skip pricing/revenue questions in Business & Value
• Backend-only: Minimize UX & Design category
• Bug fix: Focus on Problem & Context, Technical, Testing
• Feature: Full interview but lighter on Business & Value

Session State Management

State File Location

Save interview progress to: .taskmanager/prd-state.json

State Structure

{
  "sessionId": "uuid",
  "prdType": "product|feature|bugfix",
  "slug": "feature-name",
  "startedAt": "ISO timestamp",
  "lastUpdatedAt": "ISO timestamp",
  "currentCategory": "category-name",
  "completedCategories": ["category1", "category2"],
  "answers": {
    "category-name": {
      "question-key": "answer-value"
    }
  },
  "initialPrompt": "User's original description"
}

Resuming Sessions

When /prd-builder:prd or similar is invoked: 1. Check for existing state in .taskmanager/prd-state.json 2. If found, ask user: "Resume previous session for '{slug}' or start fresh?" 3. If resuming, continue from currentCategory 4. If starting fresh, archive old state and begin new session

PRD Document Structure

Output Location

Save PRDs to: docs/prd/prd-{slug}.md

Document Template

Generate PRDs following the template in templates/prd-template.md. Key sections:

1. Header: Title, version, date, status, author 2. Executive Summary: One-paragraph overview 3. Problem Statement: What problem, who has it, current solutions 4. Users & Personas: Target users with characteristics 5. Solution Overview: High-level approach 6. Features & Requirements: Detailed feature breakdown with priorities 7. Technical Architecture: Stack, integrations, Mermaid diagrams 8. User Experience: Flows, wireframes references 9. Business Case: Value proposition, pricing (if applicable) 10. Risks & Mitigations: Known risks with mitigation strategies 11. Testing Strategy: Acceptance criteria, test approach 12. Timeline & Milestones: Phase breakdown (if applicable) 13. Open Questions: Unresolved items for follow-up

Mermaid Diagrams

Include these diagrams where appropriate:

Architecture Diagram:

graph TB
    subgraph Frontend
        UI[User Interface]
    end
    subgraph Backend
        API[API Layer]
        DB[(Database)]
    end
    UI --> API --> DB

User Flow Diagram:

flowchart LR
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action]
    B -->|No| D[Alternative]

TaskManager Integration

Task Generation Process

After PRD completion: 1. Parse all features from the PRD 2. Create hierarchical task structure:

• Parent task per major feature
• Child tasks for implementation steps

3. Use /taskmanager:plan with the PRD file path

Task Hierarchy Example

Feature: User Authentication
├── Setup authentication infrastructure
├── Implement login endpoint
├── Implement registration endpoint
├── Add password reset flow
├── Create authentication middleware
└── Write authentication tests

Automatic Execution

After generating tasks, ask: "Tasks created. Start autonomous execution?" If yes, invoke /taskmanager:run to begin implementation.

PRD Types

Full Product PRD (/prd-builder:prd)

Complete interview covering all 8 categories in depth:

• 10-15 question rounds
• Comprehensive documentation
• Full Mermaid diagrams
• Complete task breakdown

Feature PRD (/prd-builder:feature)

Lighter interview focused on implementation:

• 5-8 question rounds
• Skip or minimize Business & Value (unless monetized feature)
• Focus on Technical, UX, Testing
• Assume product context exists

Bug Fix PRD (/prd-builder:bugfix)

Problem-focused documentation:

• 3-5 question rounds
• Heavy focus on Problem & Context
• Technical root cause analysis
• Regression testing strategy
• Skip Business, minimize UX

Refine PRD (/prd-builder:refine)

Enhance existing PRDs: 1. Read and analyze existing PRD 2. Identify weak or missing sections 3. Ask targeted questions for gaps only 4. Merge new answers into existing document 5. Preserve original content where adequate

Additional Resources

Reference Files

Detailed question banks for each category:

• `references/question-bank.md` - Complete question library organized by category

Template Files

PRD output template:

• `templates/prd-template.md` - Full PRD document structure

PRD Interview Question Bank

Comprehensive question library organized by category. Use AskUserQuestion tool with 2-4 questions per round, adapting based on previous answers.

Category 1: Problem & Context

Core Questions

What problem are you solving?

• Header: "Problem"
• Options:
• Pain point in existing workflow
• Missing capability users need
• Performance/efficiency issue
• Compliance/security requirement

Who experiences this problem most acutely?

• Header: "Who"
• Options:
• End users directly
• Internal team members
• Business stakeholders
• External partners/clients

What's the current workaround?

• Header: "Workaround"
• Options:
• Manual process
• Third-party tool
• No solution exists
• Suboptimal existing feature

Why solve this now?

• Header: "Timing"
• Options:
• Customer demand/feedback
• Competitive pressure
• Strategic priority
• Technical debt reaching critical

Follow-up Questions

How frequently does this problem occur?

• Header: "Frequency"
• Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Occasionally

What's the impact when this problem occurs?

• Header: "Impact"
• Options: Lost revenue, User frustration, Wasted time, Compliance risk

Are there seasonal or contextual factors?

• Header: "Context"
• Options: Yes - seasonal, Yes - event-driven, Yes - user-specific, No patterns

---

Category 2: Users & Customers

Core Questions

Who is the primary user?

• Header: "Primary User"
• Options:
• End consumers (B2C)
• Business users (B2B)
• Internal employees
• Developers/technical users

What's their technical proficiency?

• Header: "Tech Level"
• Options:
• Non-technical
• Basic computer skills
• Power users
• Technical/developers

What's their primary goal when using this?

• Header: "User Goal"
• Options:
• Complete a task quickly
• Make informed decisions
• Collaborate with others
• Monitor/track something

Are there secondary user types?

• Header: "Secondary"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Administrators
• Managers/supervisors
• Support staff
• External auditors

Follow-up Questions

What devices will users access this from?

• Header: "Devices"
• multiSelect: true
• Options: Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, API/programmatic

What's the typical session duration?

• Header: "Session"
• Options: Quick (<1 min), Short (1-5 min), Medium (5-15 min), Extended (15+ min)

What are their biggest frustrations with current solutions?

• Header: "Frustrations"
• multiSelect: true
• Options: Too slow, Too complex, Missing features, Unreliable

---

Category 3: Solution & Features

Core Questions

What's the core feature that solves the main problem?

• Header: "Core Feature"
• Free text recommended - ask open-ended

What's the MVP scope?

• Header: "MVP Scope"
• Options:
• Single core feature only
• Core + 1-2 supporting features
• Full feature set, simplified UX
• Vertical slice (one complete flow)

How should features be prioritized?

• Header: "Priority"
• Options:
• Must-have (P0) only for MVP
• Must-have + key nice-to-haves
• Full feature set phased
• User-driven prioritization

What's explicitly out of scope?

• Header: "Out of Scope"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Mobile support initially
• Advanced analytics
• Third-party integrations
• Multi-language support

Follow-up Questions

For each major feature, ask:

• What triggers this feature?
• What's the expected outcome?
• What data does it need?
• What errors could occur?

What differentiates this from alternatives?

• Header: "Differentiator"
• Options: Speed, Simplicity, Integration, Cost, Quality

---

Category 4: Technical Implementation

Core Questions

What's the target architecture?

• Header: "Architecture"
• Options:
• Monolithic application
• Microservices
• Serverless functions
• Hybrid approach

What's the primary tech stack?

• Header: "Stack"
• Options:
• Laravel + Filament
• Node.js + React
• Python + Django
• Other (specify)

What external integrations are needed?

• Header: "Integrations"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Authentication (OAuth, SSO)
• Payment processing
• Email/notifications
• Third-party APIs

What are the main technical constraints?

• Header: "Constraints"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Must work offline
• Real-time requirements
• Legacy system compatibility
• Specific compliance (HIPAA, GDPR)

Follow-up Questions

What's the expected data volume?

• Header: "Data Scale"
• Options: Small (<1GB), Medium (1-100GB), Large (100GB-1TB), Massive (1TB+)

What's the expected concurrent user load?

• Header: "Concurrency"
• Options: Low (<100), Medium (100-1K), High (1K-10K), Very High (10K+)

Are there specific performance requirements?

• Header: "Performance"
• Options:
• Response time <100ms
• Response time <1s
• Batch processing OK
• No specific requirements

What's the deployment target?

• Header: "Deployment"
• Options: Cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure), Self-hosted, Hybrid, Edge/distributed

---

Category 5: Business & Value

Core Questions

What's the primary value proposition?

• Header: "Value"
• Options:
• Save time/increase efficiency
• Reduce costs
• Generate new revenue
• Improve quality/accuracy

How will success be measured?

• Header: "Metrics"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• User adoption rate
• Time saved per task
• Revenue generated
• Error reduction

Is there a revenue model?

• Header: "Revenue"
• Options:
• Subscription (SaaS)
• One-time purchase
• Freemium
• Internal tool (no direct revenue)

What's the pricing strategy?

• Header: "Pricing"
• Options:
• Free tier + paid upgrades
• Flat monthly rate
• Usage-based pricing
• Enterprise custom pricing

Follow-up Questions (skip for internal tools)

What's the target customer acquisition cost?

• Header: "CAC"
• Options: <$10, $10-50, $50-200, $200+

What's the expected customer lifetime value?

• Header: "LTV"
• Options: <$100, $100-500, $500-2000, $2000+

---

Category 6: UX & Design

Core Questions

What's the primary interaction model?

• Header: "Interaction"
• Options:
• Form-based input
• Dashboard/monitoring
• Conversational/chat
• Visual/drag-drop

What's the visual style direction?

• Header: "Style"
• Options:
• Minimal/clean
• Data-dense/professional
• Playful/engaging
• Match existing brand

What accessibility requirements exist?

• Header: "A11y"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
• Screen reader support
• Keyboard navigation
• Color blindness support

What are the responsive requirements?

• Header: "Responsive"
• Options:
• Desktop-first, mobile-friendly
• Mobile-first
• Desktop-only acceptable
• Fully responsive all breakpoints

Follow-up Questions

What's the expected user flow complexity?

• Header: "Flow"
• Options: Linear (1-2 steps), Branching (3-5 steps), Complex (5+ steps), Wizard-style

Are there existing design system/components to use?

• Header: "Design System"
• Options: Yes - comprehensive, Yes - partial, No - create new, Use framework default

---

Category 7: Risks & Concerns

Core Questions

What are the main technical risks?

• Header: "Tech Risks"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Scalability uncertainty
• Third-party API reliability
• Data migration complexity
• Performance unknowns

What are the main business risks?

• Header: "Biz Risks"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Market timing
• Competition response
• Resource availability
• Stakeholder alignment

What dependencies could block progress?

• Header: "Blockers"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• External API access
• Design assets
• Legal/compliance approval
• Infrastructure setup

What assumptions are we making?

• Header: "Assumptions"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Users want this feature
• Technical approach is feasible
• Resources will be available
• Timeline is realistic

Follow-up Questions

What's the mitigation strategy for top risks?

• Ask open-ended for each major risk identified

What's the fallback if primary approach fails?

• Header: "Fallback"
• Options: Simplified version, Alternative tech, Partner solution, Delay launch

---

Category 8: Testing & Quality

Core Questions

What testing approach is required?

• Header: "Testing"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Unit tests (Pest/PHPUnit)
• Integration tests
• E2E tests (Playwright)
• Manual QA

What are the key acceptance criteria?

• Ask open-ended per major feature

What's the minimum test coverage target?

• Header: "Coverage"
• Options: 80%+ (comprehensive), 60-80% (solid), 40-60% (basic), No specific target

What edge cases need special attention?

• Header: "Edge Cases"
• multiSelect: true
• Options:
• Empty states
• Error handling
• Concurrent access
• Large data volumes

Follow-up Questions

What performance benchmarks must be met?

• Header: "Benchmarks"
• Options: Strict SLAs, General guidelines, Best effort, N/A

What security testing is required?

• Header: "Security"
• multiSelect: true
• Options: Penetration testing, OWASP compliance, Dependency scanning, Code review

What's the rollback strategy if issues found post-launch?

• Header: "Rollback"
• Options: Feature flags, Database restore, Blue-green deployment, Manual revert

---

Interview Pacing

Recommended Flow

1. Opening (1 round): Problem & Context overview 2. Discovery (2-3 rounds): Users, Solution core 3. Deep dive (3-4 rounds): Technical, Features detail 4. Validation (2-3 rounds): Business, UX, Risks 5. Closing (1-2 rounds): Testing, final questions

Adaptive Shortcuts

For features: Compress Business to 1 round max For bugfixes: Skip Business, UX to 1 round, focus Testing For internal tools: Skip pricing questions entirely For backend-only: Minimize UX category

Question Batching

Aim for 2-4 questions per AskUserQuestion call:

• Related questions together
• Mix of single-select and multi-select
• Include one open-ended when appropriate

{PROJECT_TITLE}

Version: 1.0.0

Status: Draft | In Review | Approved

Created: {DATE}

Last Updated: {DATE}

Author: {AUTHOR}

---

Executive Summary

{One paragraph summarizing the product/feature: what it is, who it's for, and why it matters.}

---

1. Problem Statement

The Problem

{Clear description of the problem being solved.}

Who Has This Problem

{Description of who experiences this problem and how often.}

Current Solutions & Workarounds

{How users currently handle this problem, and why existing solutions are inadequate.}

Why Now

{Why this is the right time to solve this problem.}

---

2. Users & Personas

Primary User: {Persona Name}

Secondary Users

{List any secondary user types and their key characteristics.}

User Journey

journey
    title User Journey: {Primary Flow}
    section Discovery
      Learn about product: 3: User
      Sign up/onboard: 4: User
    section Usage
      Complete primary task: 5: User
      Achieve goal: 5: User
    section Retention
      Return for more: 4: User

---

3. Solution Overview

High-Level Approach

{Description of the proposed solution at a high level.}

Key Differentiators

{What makes this solution unique or better than alternatives.}

Success Metrics

---

4. Features & Requirements

MVP Features (P0 - Must Have)

Feature 1: {Feature Name}

Description: {What this feature does}

User Story: As a {user type}, I want to {action} so that {benefit}.

Acceptance Criteria:

• [ ] {Criterion 1}
• [ ] {Criterion 2}
• [ ] {Criterion 3}

Technical Notes: {Any implementation considerations}

---

Feature 2: {Feature Name}

Description: {What this feature does}

User Story: As a {user type}, I want to {action} so that {benefit}.

Acceptance Criteria:

• [ ] {Criterion 1}
• [ ] {Criterion 2}

---

Post-MVP Features (P1 - Should Have)

Future Considerations (P2 - Nice to Have)

Explicitly Out of Scope

• {Item 1}
• {Item 2}

---

5. Technical Architecture

System Overview

graph TB
    subgraph Client
        UI[Web Interface]
        Mobile[Mobile App]
    end

    subgraph Backend
        API[API Gateway]
        Auth[Auth Service]
        Core[Core Service]
    end

    subgraph Data
        DB[(Primary Database)]
        Cache[(Cache Layer)]
        Queue[Message Queue]
    end

    subgraph External
        Email[Email Service]
        Payment[Payment Gateway]
        Analytics[Analytics]
    end

    UI --> API
    Mobile --> API
    API --> Auth
    API --> Core
    Core --> DB
    Core --> Cache
    Core --> Queue
    Core --> Email
    Core --> Payment
    Core --> Analytics

Technology Stack

Key Technical Decisions

Integrations

Data Model

erDiagram
    USER {
        uuid id PK
        string email
        string name
        timestamp created_at
    }

    RESOURCE {
        uuid id PK
        uuid user_id FK
        string title
        json data
        timestamp created_at
    }

    USER ||--o{ RESOURCE : owns

---

6. User Experience

Key User Flows

Flow 1: {Primary Flow Name}

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Authenticated?}
    B -->|No| C[Login/Register]
    B -->|Yes| D[Dashboard]
    C --> D
    D --> E[Select Action]
    E --> F[Complete Task]
    F --> G[Confirmation]
    G --> H[End]

Wireframe References

{Links to wireframes or descriptions of key screens}

Accessibility Requirements

• [ ] WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
• [ ] Keyboard navigation support
• [ ] Screen reader compatibility
• [ ] Color contrast requirements met
• [ ] {Additional requirements}

Responsive Design

---

7. Business Case

Value Proposition

{Clear statement of value delivered to users/business.}

Revenue Model

{How this generates or saves money - skip for internal tools.}

Pricing Strategy

{Pricing tiers and rationale - skip for internal tools.}

ROI Analysis

---

8. Risks & Mitigations

Technical Risks

Business Risks

Dependencies

Assumptions

• {Assumption 1}
• {Assumption 2}
• {Assumption 3}

---

9. Testing Strategy

Testing Approach

Acceptance Criteria by Feature

{Reference to feature acceptance criteria above, or detailed test cases.}

Edge Cases & Error Scenarios

Performance Requirements

Security Testing

• [ ] OWASP Top 10 review
• [ ] Dependency vulnerability scan
• [ ] Authentication/authorization testing
• [ ] Data encryption verification
• [ ] {Additional security tests}

---

10. Timeline & Milestones

Phase Overview

gantt
    title Project Timeline
    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
    section Phase 1
    Foundation Setup    :a1, 2024-01-01, 7d
    Core Feature 1      :a2, after a1, 14d
    section Phase 2
    Core Feature 2      :b1, after a2, 14d
    Integration         :b2, after b1, 7d
    section Phase 3
    Testing & QA        :c1, after b2, 7d
    Launch Prep         :c2, after c1, 3d

Milestones

---

11. Open Questions

---

Appendix

Glossary

References

• {Link to related document}
• {Link to research}
• {Link to design files}

Change Log