THE BRIEF
Our CEO wants shared shopping lists so families can add items to one cart. Here are my notes from the kickoff. Turn them into a PRD the engineers can start on.
Scenario: Product team at a grocery delivery app, 300k monthly users
Package: Feature PRD from your notes · $50 · 4 hrs
Here's the problem in one line, the best argument against building it, and what we're deliberately leaving out.
PROBLEM
Households place duplicate or incomplete orders because one person shops for several people who can't add to the cart.
SUCCESS METRIC
Items per order for households with 2+ list members rises 15% within 60 days of launch. Secondary: duplicate orders within 24 hours fall 30%.
THE BEST ARGUMENT AGAINST
Most households already share lists in a messaging app, then one person types the order. If that works for them, we're building collaboration nobody asked for. Evidence for this concern: only 6% of support tickets mention multiple people ordering. Mitigation: ship the smallest version and measure adoption before building anything else.
WHAT WE'RE NOT DOING
- Real-time cursors or live co-editing.
- Splitting payment between members.
- Lists shared outside a household (roommates, offices).
- Chat inside the list.
REQUIREMENTS, IN PRIORITY ORDER
| Priority | Requirement | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| Must | Owner invites up to 5 people by phone or email | Invitee lands on the list in under 3 taps |
| Must | Members add, remove and change quantities | Changes appear for others within 10 seconds |
| Must | Only the owner checks out | Members see "Ready for checkout" state |
| Should | Each item shows who added it | Initials on each line |
| Should | Owner can remove a member | Removed member loses access immediately |
| Later | Push notification when someone adds an item | Off by default |
- Priority
- Must
- Requirement
- Owner invites up to 5 people by phone or email
- Acceptance
- Invitee lands on the list in under 3 taps
- Priority
- Must
- Requirement
- Members add, remove and change quantities
- Acceptance
- Changes appear for others within 10 seconds
- Priority
- Must
- Requirement
- Only the owner checks out
- Acceptance
- Members see "Ready for checkout" state
- Priority
- Should
- Requirement
- Each item shows who added it
- Acceptance
- Initials on each line
- Priority
- Should
- Requirement
- Owner can remove a member
- Acceptance
- Removed member loses access immediately
- Priority
- Later
- Requirement
- Push notification when someone adds an item
- Acceptance
- Off by default
PRE-MORTEM: IT'S DECEMBER AND THIS FLOPPED. WHY?
- Invite flow required an account, so grandparents never joined.
- Members added items that were out of stock in the owner's store, and checkout broke.
- We measured downloads of the feature, not orders.
OPEN QUESTIONS
- Can invitees add items without creating an account? (Owner: Design)
- What happens to the list if the owner's store changes? (Owner: Engineering)
OWNERS AND DATES
- Design review: Mei, Nov 6
- Tech spec: Arturo, Nov 10
- Analytics plan: Dana, Nov 10
Owners and next steps are at the bottom. Push back on anything. — Jennifer
