The Unsung Hero of Product Management: Feature Results Writeups

The feature results writeup is the most important document in product management.

I said it. At least given how under-appreciated it is in comparison to Product Requirements Documents (PRDs).

There’s not even a memorable acronym or name for them.

But, given not everything we ship is going to work — somewhere between 50% and 92% even at the top tech companies — I think they are that important.

Building great products is not just the result of what you ship, but also what you learn from what you ship. The feature results writeup is how you institutionalize those learnings.

I’ve been refining my process for FRWs over 15+ years. Here’s what I recommend.

A great feature results writeup has:

1. A well-defined structure
2. The good, bad, and the ugly
3. A 5 Why’s analysis on the ‘so what?’
4. Lessons learned
5. Next steps

In this way, it becomes the crucial fuel for the fire that is your strategy.

And the ultimate document for PMs to master.