Feature Brief & Decision Document
Lightweight PM artifacts for early exploration and decision recording. Use before committing to a full PRD (/majestic:prd).
Feature Brief Template
# Feature Brief: [Name]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Author:** [PM] | **Status:** [Draft/Review/Approved/Rejected]
## Problem
[2-3 sentences: What pain exists, who has it, how bad is it]
## Proposed Solution
[2-3 sentences: What we'd build, core mechanic]
## Target Users
- **Primary:** [Specific segment + size estimate]
- **Secondary:** [If applicable]
## Success Metrics
| Metric | Baseline | Target | Timeline |
|--------|----------|--------|----------|
| [KPI] | [Current] | [Goal] | [By when] |
## Scope
- **In:** [3-5 bullet points]
- **Out:** [Explicit exclusions]
## Effort Estimate
- **Size:** [S/M/L/XL]
- **Teams involved:** [Eng, Design, Data, etc.]
- **Dependencies:** [Blockers or prerequisites]
## Risks
- [Risk 1]: [Mitigation]
- [Risk 2]: [Mitigation]
## Open Questions
- [ ] [Question needing answer before PRD]
## Recommendation
**[Go / No-Go / Needs More Research]** — [One sentence rationale]
## Next Steps
- [ ] [Specific action with owner]
Decision Document Template
# Decision: [Short title]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Decision Maker:** [Name/Role]
**Status:** [Proposed/Decided/Superseded]
## Context
[What situation requires a decision? What constraints exist?]
## Options Evaluated
### Option A: [Name]
- **Pros:** [Benefits]
- **Cons:** [Drawbacks]
- **Effort:** [S/M/L]
- **Risk:** [Low/Med/High]
### Option B: [Name]
- **Pros:** [Benefits]
- **Cons:** [Drawbacks]
- **Effort:** [S/M/L]
- **Risk:** [Low/Med/High]
### Option C: [Name] (if applicable)
- **Pros:** [Benefits]
- **Cons:** [Drawbacks]
- **Effort:** [S/M/L]
- **Risk:** [Low/Med/High]
## Decision
**Chosen:** [Option X]
**Rationale:** [Why this option over others — specific trade-offs accepted]
## Consequences
- [What changes as a result]
- [What we're giving up]
- [What we need to monitor]
## Revisit Criteria
- Revisit if [condition changes]
- Review by [date] if [assumption unvalidated]
When to Use Each
| Artifact | When | Leads To |
|----------|------|----------|
| Feature Brief | Early exploration, before committing resources | PRD if approved, backlog item if small |
| Decision Document | Choosing between approaches, recording rationale | Implementation plan |
| PRD (/majestic:prd) | Approved feature needing full specification | Blueprint, implementation |
File Conventions
docs/briefs/brief-[feature-name].md # Feature briefs
docs/decisions/decision-[topic].md # Decision records
docs/prd/prd-[feature-name].md # Full PRDs (via /majestic:prd)