Creating a Shared Understanding: The Power of Product Specifications

When building technology products, simple answers are hard to come by. One common challenge is creating a shared understanding among teams and stakeholders about a product feature that needs to be built. A well-crafted product specification can help alleviate this issue.

What is a Product Specification?

A product specification is a document that outlines the characteristics, features, and functionality of a product. It serves as a blueprint for designing, developing, and testing the product, ensuring that everyone involved in the product development process understands what is required.

Components of a Product Specification Document

• Kickoff: Outlines who is involved in the development of the product and who is accountable for decisions.
• Scope: Defines the product’s features and functionality, performance targets and metrics, constraints and limitations, and key assumptions and risks.
• Product Design: Includes high-level architecture design, user interface mockups, process maps, and technical designs.
• Testing Plan: Notes any differences or adaptations from the standard testing method.
• Release Plan: Outlines the required steps to release the product to customers.
• Managing the Product: Defines the product’s lifecycle, maintenance and upgrade plan, and support and training needs.

How Product Specs Promote Better Alignment

Product specs promote better alignment by ensuring that everyone involved in the product development process understands what is required. However, just writing down the details does not guarantee agreement or understanding. To achieve alignment, product specs must be integrated with the product development process.

Product Discovery

Before starting any product development, a discovery process is necessary. This process defines the problem to be solved and confirms its existence before testing solutions. The end result should be a confirmation that the business supports solving the problem, the customer values the solution, and the technology can deliver the solution.

### Example of a Product Discovery Process

1. Define the problem statement
2. Conduct customer research
3. Analyze market trends
4. Validate assumptions
5. Refine the problem statement

Collaboration

Product management is a complex process that requires collaboration among teams and stakeholders. Product specs can facilitate collaboration by providing a shared understanding of the product requirements.

Writing Product Specifications

The process of writing product specifications involves three steps:

1. Kickoff: Confirm the required skills and decision-makers, and agree on the measurements of success.
2. Validate the Problem: Gather evidence to confirm the existence of the problem, and amend the scope as necessary.
3. Test, Release, and Manage: Determine how to solve the problem, test the solution, and plan for release and management.

### Example of a Product Spec Template

# Product Name

## Overview

* Problem statement
* Solution description

## Scope

* Features and functionality
* Performance targets and metrics
* Constraints and limitations

## Product Design

* High-level architecture design
* User interface mockups
* Process maps
* Technical designs

## Testing Plan

* Test scenarios
* Test cases
* Test schedule

## Release Plan

* Release timeline
* Release milestones
* Release budget

## Managing the Product

* Lifecycle plan
* Maintenance and upgrade plan
* Support and training plan

By following these steps and integrating product specs with the product development process, teams can create a shared understanding that leads to successful product development.