What is Product Spec?
Product spec is short form for product specifications. It is like a blueprint that contains vital information on product designing and development.
It is a document that helps designers and developers gain insightful knowledge about the company’s vision and goals.
The product teams keep referring to this document throughout the development phase to not lose sight of the ideas and vision behind the product.
For a product spec, contributing members make use of user personas, these are made up profiles of all the clients made by using data on client research, demarcation of predictable responses, requirements, and objectives.
Product spec puts emphasis on the product’s journey in the whole process of creation and sales. It focuses on how the product realises the true motives of the company or stakeholders, how the product will profit the business, the revenue generation, and growth in the market.
Composition of a product spec
- Product summary: It covers details around the idea of the product, the features included, customer expectations and experience, timeline, and the final product. It tells the reason behind making the product.
- Business case: Keeps a track of budget and resources we have and require, it also tells about how the product is advantageous to the business.
- User stories: What the user wants and expects from the product and its specific features.
- User personas: Documents users’ behavior, needs, and expectations.
- Functional spec: Captures knowledge about the functionality of the product i.e. its capabilities and uses.
Importance of having a good product spec
First of all, as a product manager, you are in need of all the relevant information compiled in a smart way that focuses on the company’s vision and targets, that reflects ground realities of the market, a set of guidelines, or a roadmap you can refer to during the whole journey of your product development.
So, for these specified points, a product spec proves to be worthy of implementation in the product management. It reflects critical thinking, communication, contexts, roadmap and makes the process clear.
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FAQs
It is a detailed document that distinctly labels all the product specifications.
1) Put all the necessary information in a compiled form.
2) It should be descriptive.
3) Collaboration of all team members.
4) Smart prioritization of requirements
5) Testing and final verification.