Writing accurate specifications for user stories is an important task in the life of every PM. Specs need to be clear, contain all relevant data, and be structured well for coherent reading. In addition, when developers work with multiple PMs, it’s important to have a standardized method guiding spec creation, to avoid confusion and ensure consistency across the organization.
Let’s take you through using preset templates and creating new templates.
Spec Editor Guru Templates
To access the spec templates navigate to an item's properties panel screen, which can be found by clicking the item on any view within your Craft.io's workspace and then click on the item’s description box.
Select from the preset templates built-into Craft.io, which encapsulate some of the best practices methodologies in the market. These presets can be instantly loaded when starting to write specifications, and you can choose from a variety of templates available with different styles for various scenarios, like problem-oriented spec, bug reporting, and A/B testing. Simply click on the Guru Templates button on the top right-hand side of the item box to open the templates menu and select your preferred template.
Note: Guru Templates can be applied to new items or existing items. Keep in mind that applying a spec template to an existing item description will overwrite all existing text of that item.
To create new templates, you must have Workspace Admin permissions. First, add your template copy. Next, click on the Guru Templates drop-down as before, select Save as new Template, and give your new template a name.
Your new template will be visible to all Workspace users and will help to align the product organization to work in the same methodology.
To delete or rename an existing custom template, click on the pencil icon beside your template’s name to open up the edit dialogue box. You can now either rename your template or delete it completely. Remember that deleting a custom template will remove it from all Workspace user accounts.
You can define a template per item type (Product, Epic, Feature, Idea, etc.), so when a new item is created, its description will be populated with the default template. This helps to streamline spec writing across the team and will save time for the workspace members who write specs.
You can set the default template by clicking the "Edit" icon and turning on the default toggle. The default template will have a default icon indication and will be relevant only for that particular item type.
Strategic Inputs Guru Templates
Strategic Inputs, found in the Strategy section of Craft.io, is your product Wiki: the place to draft and maintain your product strategy & vision, provide the strategic context and rationale, OKRs, competitive landscape, etc. Guru Templates can be found in this area as well, to help align your team around a unified format and save time typing everything by creating a framework for your product strategy.
Examples of Guru Templates within your Strategic Inputs:
SWOT analysis framework
A framework that guides you to identify your product Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis is designed to increase awareness of the factors involved in making business decisions or developing business strategies. SWOT analysis can be used to explore new opportunities, find solutions to problems, adjust and refine plans mid-course.
When editing an item in the Strategic Inputs, click on the Guru templates button > SWOT analysis in the top right corner of the editor.
Lean Canvas
A one-page business plan. Using this method, you can easily brainstorm the various factors that determine a business model's profitability. It can help you speed up your business planning and provide others with a document that is high level and easy to read.
When editing an item in the Strategic Inputs, click on the Guru templates button > Lean Canvas analysis in the top right corner of the editor.
Competitive analysis template
Layout valuable information about competition that can go directly into the Competitive landscape section in Craft.io.
When editing an item in the Strategic Inputs, click on the Guru templates button > Competitive analysis in the top right corner of the editor.
SMART goal template
A goal setting framework to help you to set clear and reachable goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help focus your efforts and increase the chances of achieving your goal.
When editing an item in the Strategic Inputs, click on the Guru templates button > SMART goal in the top right corner of the editor.
Product Release notes
Communicating product updates and new features.
When editing an item in the Strategic Inputs, click on the Guru templates button > Release notes in the top right corner of the editor.
Objectives and Key results (OKRs) template
A goal system that helps businesses set high-level, measurable goals that can be tracked over a certain period of time. This framework makes it possible for organizations to establish ambitious, far-reaching objectives in a relatively short time.
Objectives and Key results templates are available in those respective topics in the Strategic inputs module.
When editing an Objective or a Key result item, click on the Guru templates button in the top right corner of the editor to see your OKR's templates.
