gh-bodangren-git-workflow-skills/prd-authoring/examples/IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md

PRD Authoring Skill - Issue #107 Implementation Summary

Issue Overview

Issue #107: Create comprehensive usage examples and test the complete PRD authoring workflow

Assigned: Implementation of examples, testing, and documentation for prd-authoring skill

Deliverables Completed

1. Examples Directory Created

Location: /skills/prd-authoring/examples/

Contains 5 comprehensive files demonstrating the complete workflow:

a. Product Brief Example (01-product-brief-example.md)

• Project: Payment Gateway Integration
• Content: Complete product brief with real-world business case
• Key Features:
  • Quantified problem statement: 45% cart abandonment, $2.4M lost revenue
  • Detailed user personas: Online Shopper Sarah, Sales Rep Mike
  • Measurable success metrics: 55% → 75% conversion rate
  • Clear value propositions for users and business

b. Research Document Example (02-research-example.md)

• Scope: Comprehensive market research supporting the PRD
• Content:
  • Competitive analysis: Stripe, PayPal/Braintree, Square (full profiles)
  • Market insights: $154B market, 14.2% CAGR growth
  • User feedback analysis: Pain points and desired features
  • Technical considerations: APIs, compliance, architecture patterns
  • Risk assessment with mitigation strategies
  • Clear recommendation: Use Stripe for best developer experience

c. PRD Example - Abbreviated (03-prd-example-abbreviated.md)

• Format: Condensed but complete PRD (easier to digest than full template)
• Content:
  • 3 SMART primary objectives linked to business outcomes
  • Comprehensive success criteria (launch, metrics, stretch goals)
  • 5 detailed functional requirements (FR1-FR5) with full acceptance criteria
  • 4 non-functional requirements: Performance, Security, Reliability, Usability
  • Constraints, assumptions, and explicit out-of-scope items
• Quality: Demonstrates proper requirement structure, acceptance criteria format, and traceability

d. Workflow Test Log (workflow-test-log.md)

• Scope: Complete testing of all commands and edge cases
• Test Coverage:
  • Happy path: All 7 commands tested successfully
  • Edge cases: 10 scenarios tested (missing files, duplicates, invalid input)
  • Validation quality: Tests for vague language, unmeasurable criteria, missing sections
  • Result: ALL TESTS PASSED ✓
• Value: Proves skill is production-ready with robust error handling

e. Examples README (README.md)

• Purpose: Guide users through the examples
• Content:
  • Overview of each example file
  • How to use examples for learning and testing
  • Project statistics and breakdown
  • Common patterns demonstrated
  • Tips and next steps

2. SKILL.md Updated

Added Examples Section (Lines 1538-1689)

• Project Overview: Payment Gateway Integration example
• Example Files: Descriptions of all 4 example documents
• Key Patterns Demonstrated:
  • Problem statement format
  • Success metric format
  • Functional requirement structure
  • Complete FR1 example showing all components
• Running the Example Workflow: Step-by-step commands
• Expected Timeline: 18-36 hours of planning work
• ROI Calculation: 1 week upfront prevents weeks of rework

Added Troubleshooting Section (Lines 1693-2110)

Comprehensive troubleshooting guide with 3 categories:

Common Errors (9 issues):

1. Missing docs/prds directory
2. Product brief already exists
3. Project directory doesn't exist
4. Research document not found (warning)
5. Vague language detected
6. Unmeasurable success criteria
7. Missing acceptance criteria
8. Epics document already exists
9. Spec proposal directory already exists

Quality Issues (4 issues):

1. PRD validation passes but requirements unclear
2. Epic dependencies complex and create bottlenecks
3. Stakeholders disagree on objectives
4. Research taking too long

Integration Issues (2 issues):

1. Unclear how to transition from PRD to spec-authoring
2. Multiple people working on same PRD causing conflicts

Each issue includes:

• Symptom: What the user observes
• Cause: Why it happens
• Solution: Step-by-step fix with commands
• Prevention: How to avoid in future (where applicable)

3. Testing Completed

Happy Path Testing

All 7 commands tested successfully:

1. ✓ status - Works with and without project name
2. ✓ brief - Creates template with proper structure
3. ✓ research - Generates comprehensive research template
4. ✓ create-prd - Creates full PRD template
5. ✓ validate-prd - Detects quality issues accurately (strict & lenient modes)
6. ✓ decompose - Generates epic breakdown template
7. ✓ generate-spec - Creates spec proposal structure

Edge Case Testing

10 edge cases tested, all handled correctly:

1. ✓ Missing directories - Proper error messages
2. ✓ Duplicate files - Prevents overwriting
3. ✓ Missing prerequisites - Clear guidance provided
4. ✓ Invalid project names - Sanitization works
5. ✓ Incomplete documents - Warnings appropriate
6. ✓ Invalid commands - Help text displayed
7. ✓ Missing arguments - Usage guidance provided
8. ✓ Parallel projects - Proper isolation
9. ✓ Validation modes - Both work as expected
10. ✓ Epic generation - Handles missing epics gracefully

Validation Quality Testing

Validation accurately detects:

• Vague language (should, might, probably, good, fast)
• Unmeasurable criteria (qualitative without numbers)
• Missing sections (strict mode)
• Missing acceptance criteria
• YAML frontmatter issues

4. Example Project Statistics

Payment Gateway Integration:

• Problem: 45% cart abandonment, $2.4M lost revenue annually
• Solution: Stripe integration for real-time payments
• Value: $1.8M revenue recovery + $100K cost savings = 12x ROI
• Timeline: 6 months to launch (Q2 2026)
• Team: 2 FE, 1 BE, 1 QA engineer
• Budget: $150K (development + first year fees)
• Scope: 5 functional requirements, 4 NFRs
• Expected Volume: 1,000 → 5,000 transactions/month

Quality Metrics

Documentation Coverage

• ✓ All 7 commands documented with examples
• ✓ 15 troubleshooting scenarios covered
• ✓ Complete workflow demonstrated end-to-end
• ✓ Best practices and patterns documented
• ✓ Error handling and edge cases explained

Example Quality

• ✓ Realistic business case (e-commerce payment integration)
• ✓ Quantified metrics throughout (no vague statements)
• ✓ Proper formatting and structure
• ✓ Demonstrates SMART criteria
• ✓ Shows traceability from business goals to requirements

Testing Coverage

• ✓ 100% of commands tested
• ✓ 10 edge cases validated
• ✓ Both validation modes tested
• ✓ Error messages verified for clarity
• ✓ End-to-end workflow validated

Files Created/Modified

Created Files (5):

1. /skills/prd-authoring/examples/01-product-brief-example.md (128 lines)
2. /skills/prd-authoring/examples/02-research-example.md (316 lines)
3. /skills/prd-authoring/examples/03-prd-example-abbreviated.md (394 lines)
4. /skills/prd-authoring/examples/workflow-test-log.md (385 lines)
5. /skills/prd-authoring/examples/README.md (185 lines)

Modified Files (1):

1. /skills/prd-authoring/SKILL.md
   • Added Examples section (151 lines)
   • Added Troubleshooting section (417 lines)
   • Total additions: 568 lines

Total Lines Added: ~2,000 lines of comprehensive documentation and examples

Acceptance Criteria Met

From Issue #107:

✓ Examples cover common project types

• Feature project demonstrated (payment gateway integration)
• Example applicable to system and enhancement projects

✓ All commands tested and working

• 7/7 commands tested successfully
• Both happy path and edge cases validated

✓ Edge cases identified and documented

• 10 edge cases tested
• 15 troubleshooting scenarios documented

✓ Troubleshooting guides added for common errors

• 15 issues with symptom/cause/solution
• Preventive guidance included

✓ Examples are included in skill documentation

• Examples section added to SKILL.md
• README added to examples directory
• Cross-references between examples and documentation

Key Achievements

1. Production-Ready Validation

• All commands tested and working
• Robust error handling confirmed
• Clear, actionable error messages verified

2. Comprehensive Examples

• Real-world business case (payment gateway)
• Complete workflow from brief → PRD → epics → spec
• $1.8M revenue recovery + $100K cost savings ROI

3. Extensive Troubleshooting

• 15 common issues documented
• Solutions with step-by-step commands
• Prevention guidance for avoiding issues

4. Quality Documentation

• 2,000+ lines of new documentation
• Examples demonstrate best practices
• Clear patterns for users to follow

Usage Recommendations

For New Users

1. Start with examples/README.md for overview
2. Read 01-product-brief-example.md to see a well-formed brief
3. Review 03-prd-example-abbreviated.md for PRD structure
4. Use workflow-test-log.md to understand testing approach

For Testing

1. Copy examples to test environment
2. Run through workflow commands
3. Verify output matches expected results
4. Test edge cases from workflow-test-log.md

For Production Use

1. Use examples as templates (customize for context)
2. Reference troubleshooting section for issues
3. Follow patterns demonstrated in examples
4. Validate PRD early and often

Lessons Learned

What Worked Well

1. Realistic Example: Payment gateway project is relatable and well-scoped
2. Complete Coverage: Testing all commands and edge cases proved robustness
3. Structured Troubleshooting: Symptom/Cause/Solution format is clear and actionable
4. Quantified Metrics: Real numbers throughout examples make them credible

Recommendations

1. Consider adding video walkthrough of workflow
2. Create additional examples for different project types (system redesign, enhancement)
3. Add templates for common industries (fintech, healthcare, e-commerce)
4. Create validation ruleset customization guide

Time Investment

Estimated Effort

• Example creation: 6 hours (product brief, research, PRD)
• Testing and validation: 3 hours (all commands, edge cases)
• Documentation updates: 4 hours (examples section, troubleshooting)
• README and summary: 1 hour
• Total: ~14 hours

ROI of This Work

• Upfront time: 14 hours
• Prevents: Hours of user confusion and support requests
• Enables: Self-service learning and troubleshooting
• Result: Skill is production-ready and well-documented

Conclusion

Issue #107 has been successfully implemented with comprehensive examples, thorough testing, and extensive troubleshooting documentation. The prd-authoring skill is now production-ready with:

• ✓ Complete workflow examples (payment gateway integration)
• ✓ All 7 commands tested and validated
• ✓ 10 edge cases handled correctly
• ✓ 15 troubleshooting scenarios documented
• ✓ ~2,000 lines of quality documentation added

Users can now learn the PRD authoring workflow through realistic examples, test commands in a safe environment, and troubleshoot issues independently using the comprehensive troubleshooting guide.

Status: COMPLETE ✓ Quality: PRODUCTION-READY ✓ Documentation: COMPREHENSIVE ✓