Do you want to sleep soundly, build incredible SaaS software that scales effortlessly, and lead a team that’s not only productive but also happy enough to stick around for the long haul? Sounds like.
Do you want to sleep soundly, build incredible SaaS software that scales effortlessly, and lead a team that’s not only productive but also happy enough to stick around for the long haul?
Sounds like a dream, right? Especially in an industry where 6 a.m. calls, midnight meetings, and teams running on fumes are the norm. But what if I told you I found a way to avoid all that chaos?
Here’s how a single habit—writing ridiculously long PRDs—changed everything for me and my team.
In 2013, I started working with foreign teams—first in Alexandria, Egypt. They were phenomenal, but I quickly learned that communication across time zones is a beast. After a bit of trial and error (and a falling out with one manager), I met Constantin Chifor. We started building on what the Egyptian team had developed.
Constantin, ever the pragmatist, scrapped our Rails codebase for Java, and the work we did eventually got us acquired. Suddenly, I found myself leading a much larger team—one that was completely new to the kind of product I was building.
Enter the 30-page PRD.
Everyone hated it. “You’re so waterfall!” “This isn’t agile!” I heard it all. But I wasn’t looking for approval—I was looking for results. The goal of my novel-length PRDs was simple:
“I want to disappear for three months. When I return, I want this PRD to be reality.”
Unrealistic? Maybe. But here’s what happened: it worked. We even won an award for being the most efficient team in the company.
Why It Worked
I told the team, “Read this carefully. If you don’t understand something, ask, and I’ll clarify it.” With the PRD as their north star, my team didn’t need constant check-ins or endless back-and-forth.
Time zones didn’t matter anymore. I’d visit the team once a quarter to review the document in person, and that was it. No 6 a.m. calls. No 10 p.m. sessions. Just a clear, well-defined roadmap they could follow.
And the results? Zero attrition. Nobody left. The team was productive, engaged, and happy.
Meanwhile, I watched other PMs burn out. I’d see them at 11:30 p.m., huddled with engineers, piecing together requirements on the fly. A few days later, I’d ask, “What was all that about?” Turns out, they didn’t have requirements—they were inventing them in real time.
That’s when it clicked: my marathon writing habit everyone hated in emails wasn’t just a quirk—it was a superpower. The clarity my PRDs provided allowed my team to focus on building, not scrambling.
The Takeaway
This approach isn’t for everyone, and I know it’s not “agile.” But here’s the thing: my team delivered high-quality products on time, avoided the chaos of late-night firefights, and actually enjoyed the process.
The real lesson? A great PRD isn’t just a document—it’s a strategy. It gives your team the freedom to work autonomously while ensuring everyone is aligned on the goal.
So, do you want to sleep soundly, build amazing SaaS software, and lead a team that loves working with you? Start with clarity. Start with a PRD that makes midnight meetings obsolete.
It worked for me—and I’m betting it’ll work for you too, and now it’s 1000x easier with AI. Embody this thinking when you are writing those prompts. You’ll thank me later.
