Feature request template

When writing a feature request, it’s essential to clearly define the purpose and problem it will solve. For example, some features or integrations make a product more accessible to a diverse target audience, like colorblind settings or font sizes for readability.

A clearly defined purpose helps product managers and developers understand why a feature is prioritized and its role within the context of your product. A clear outline of your feature request can also keep stakeholders informed about your decisions throughout the product development life cycle.

Once you’ve got a clearly defined purpose, you can outline key sections of the template that you can fill in later. It’s up to you to decide which sections you will include in your feature request template, but there are some sections you generally want to include. Some essential sections include the feature description, target audience, expected impact, and priority.

Having an outline you can follow for each feature request helps streamline the process, so make sure your template includes everything you consider essential. These sections make it easier for teammates to scan feature requests and gather all the necessary details quickly.

Feature requests are designed to help you create a better product, and you can’t do that without feedback from the people who know your product. Collect as much input as possible from stakeholders, users, and team members to comprehensively understand feature requirements. Feature requirements serve as the foundation for your product, helping you understand the must-have features that your users and stakeholders expect to see in your product.

The feedback you gather can help you decide which features to prioritize. You can use roadmap software to outline your product roadmap.

Organizing and tracking feature requests can be challenging, but you can make it easier by tagging and categorizing each. When you create a feature request, tag it based on the theme or category so it’s easy to find and conveniently located with other similar feature requests.

Tagging and categorizing become exponentially more important the larger your organization. While it might not be challenging to manage a handful of unorganized feature requests and remain Agile, tags and categories are a must when dealing with a large number of requests.

You can’t truly prioritize a feature or integration without looking at it from every angle. It’s not enough to think about how features might improve your software or benefit users — you also have to consider how feasible it is to implement these features. Features that don’t substantially impact your product or users and aren’t feasible should be lower priorities. For features that significantly impact your product, it’s important to look at the cost and feasibility of implementing that feature to determine how you prioritize it.

The last step in creating a feature request is sharing it with relevant team members. At this stage, you can collect additional feedback from team members and collaborate to implement your prioritized features.

As you continue processing feature requests, you should update your product roadmap accordingly. Product management tools can help you capture and prioritize ideas and communicate your product strategy. You should also continue collecting feedback to ensure that your product strategy aligns with your stakeholders and users.