PRFAQ brings clarity to software projects
I've been a software engineer, manager, CPO/CTO for a long time. Nothing will cause more problems to an initiative than lack of clarity on vision and strategy. If the team cannot say which direction we are going and why, it's a sign of troubles to come. At Amazon, I learned about The PRFAQ Framework and felt it's a powerful tool to get clarity. Not only that, it's a fantastic collaboration tool for product, engineering, UX, marketing, sales, and other functions to get involved in discovering, debate, and deciding the strategy and vision for a new opportunity. So, I wrote a book about it. The real power of the PRFAQ lies in its ability to expose assumptions and gaps in thinking early. When engineers participate in creating or reviewing a PRFAQ, they spot challenges that might have gone unrecognized until deep into development. Simultaneously, product managers and executives gain clearer insights into complexity before committing resources. This early understanding reduces mid-project pivots and emergency scope changes that plague software teams. By investing a few days in crafting a compelling press release and thoughtful FAQ, teams create a common language that bridges technical and business perspectives, ultimately leading to more coherent products built with fewer false starts and redirections. Reading a few PRFAQ Examples to get a sense of what the document looks. The real value, though, is the writing and reviewing (collaboration).
I've been a software engineer, manager, CPO/CTO for a long time. Nothing will cause more problems to an initiative than lack of clarity on vision and strategy. If the team cannot say which direction we are going and why, it's a sign of troubles to come.
At Amazon, I learned about The PRFAQ Framework and felt it's a powerful tool to get clarity. Not only that, it's a fantastic collaboration tool for product, engineering, UX, marketing, sales, and other functions to get involved in discovering, debate, and deciding the strategy and vision for a new opportunity. So, I wrote a book about it.
The real power of the PRFAQ lies in its ability to expose assumptions and gaps in thinking early. When engineers participate in creating or reviewing a PRFAQ, they spot challenges that might have gone unrecognized until deep into development. Simultaneously, product managers and executives gain clearer insights into complexity before committing resources. This early understanding reduces mid-project pivots and emergency scope changes that plague software teams. By investing a few days in crafting a compelling press release and thoughtful FAQ, teams create a common language that bridges technical and business perspectives, ultimately leading to more coherent products built with fewer false starts and redirections.
Reading a few PRFAQ Examples to get a sense of what the document looks. The real value, though, is the writing and reviewing (collaboration).
