Building a Production-Ready Portfolio: Phase-1 — Requirement Gathering & PRD

Before writing code, I stepped into the role that most developers skip — Product Owner. This phase was about defining what to build, for whom, and why.

🔗 Project Repository:
https://github.com/imsushant12/sushantgaurav-portfolio

Why Phase-1 Exists (And Why Most Projects Fail Without It)

After completing Phase-0 (Infrastructure & Setup), the project was technically ready — but not directionally ready.

Most side projects fail because:

• requirements are vague
• scope keeps changing
• features are added randomly
• no one knows what “done” means

So instead of writing code next, I paused and asked:

If this were a real product, what problem does it solve? Who is it for? What is in scope — and what is not?

That’s where Phase-1: Requirement Gathering & PRD begins.

Phase-1 Objective

The goal of this phase was simple but critical:

• Define what I am building
• Define who it is for
• Define what NOT to build
• Create a single source of truth (PRD)
• Lock scope before development begins

No UI.
No backend.
No APIs.

Only clarity.

Step 0: Moving Phase-1 on the Kanban Board

Before doing any work, I moved Phase-1 from:

Todo → In Progress

This might look trivial, but it reinforces an important habit:

Every phase should be visible, trackable, and intentional.

It also maintains continuity across the project timeline.

Step 1: Creating the PRD (Product Requirement Document)

Instead of jumping into code, I created a proper PRD (Product Requirement Document) inside the repository.

This document acts as:

• the product blueprint
• the decision reference
• the scope controller
• the alignment document

Even for solo projects, this is extremely powerful.

Step 2: Structuring the PRD

I didn’t dump ideas randomly.
The PRD was structured into clear, logical sections, just like in real product teams.

1. Target Audience

This section answers a critical question:

Who is this portfolio actually for?

Instead of saying “everyone”, I clearly defined:

• recruiters and hiring managers
• engineers reviewing technical depth
• open-source collaborators
• developers evaluating architectural decisions

This helped shape:

• UI tone
• content depth
• feature prioritisation
• technical complexity

Without this clarity, portfolios become unfocused very quickly.

2. Core Features & MVP Scope

Here I defined:

• what the portfolio must have
• what it can have later
• what it will not include

This is where most developers fail — they keep adding features endlessly.

I intentionally separated:

• MVP features (must be present)
• Nice-to-haves
• Out-of-scope ideas

This prevents:

• scope creep
• overengineering
• wasted time

It also makes future decisions easier:

“Does this belong to MVP or later?”

3. User Journey & Flow

This was one of the most important parts of Phase-1.

Instead of thinking like a developer, I thought like a user:

• How does someone land on the site?
• What do they see first?
• What actions can they take?
• How do they navigate?
• Where do they leave?

This helped define:

• page structure
• navigation flow
• content ordering
• API requirements later on

Even a basic flow diagram clarifies decisions that otherwise become messy during development.

4. Technical Overview

Only after defining what to build did I define how to build it.

This section documents:

• frontend tech stack
• backend stack
• API communication approach
• deployment expectations
• testing strategy (high-level)

Not implementation — just direction.

This ensured:

• consistency in later phases
• fewer architectural changes
• easier debugging later

Step 3: Reviewing & Finalizing the PRD

Once the PRD was written, I reviewed it as if:

• I were a teammate joining the project
• I had to build this without asking questions
• I had to maintain it 6 months later

If something was unclear, it was refined.

Only after that did I consider the phase complete.

Step 4: Committing the PRD to GitHub

Once finalized:

• PRD was committed
• Changes were pushed
• Pull Request was created
• PR was reviewed and merged
• Related issue was closed

This maintains:

• clean history
• traceability
• proper workflow discipline

Step 5: Updating the Kanban Board

After merging:

• Phase-1 issue was marked Done
• Next phase was moved from Todo → In Progress

This keeps the project timeline honest and visible.

Validating the PRD Like a Real Product Owner

Once the PRD was drafted, I didn’t treat it as "done".

Instead, I reviewed it with three different lenses:

As a Developer

Could I implement this without guessing?

• Are features clearly defined?
• Are responsibilities separated?
• Are edge cases obvious?
• Would I need to ask questions later?

If the answer was yes, the PRD needed refinement.

As a Product Owner

Does this actually make sense as a product?

• Is the scope realistic?
• Is anything unnecessary for an MVP?
• Does every feature solve a real problem?
• Does it align with the target audience?

This helped eliminate:

• overengineering
• unnecessary features
• premature optimizations

As a Future Maintainer

This is the lens most people ignore.

I asked:

• Would I understand this 3 months later?
• Would another developer understand it?
• Are assumptions clearly written?

If the answer was "maybe", I clarified it in the PRD.

This mindset alone dramatically improves long-term project quality.

Locking the Scope (One of the Most Important Steps)

Once the PRD was reviewed, I locked the scope.

This means:

• No new features unless justified
• No random additions
• No scope creep
• No "I’ll add this quickly"

Why this matters:

Most side projects fail not due to lack of skill, but because the scope keeps expanding until motivation dies.

Locking scope creates:

• focus
• momentum
• clarity
• faster execution

Committing the PRD (Treating Docs as Code)

After finalising everything, I committed the PRD like any other feature.

This included:

• meaningful commit message
• clean diff
• PR linked to the issue
• review before merge

This reinforces an important idea:

Documentation is not secondary.
It is part of the product.

Closing the Issue & Updating the Board

Once merged:

✔ Issue was closed
✔ Phase marked complete
✔ Next phase moved to In Progress
✔ Project timeline updated

This step might feel ceremonial, but it builds discipline and continuity across phases.

What Phase-1 Actually Achieved

By the end of this phase, I had:

• [x] A clearly defined product
• [x] A locked MVP scope
• [x] A structured PRD
• [x] Documented assumptions
• [x] A clean decision trail
• [x] Zero ambiguity for development

No code yet — but everything needed to start coding properly.

Why This Phase Matters (Especially for Portfolios)

Most portfolios fail because:

• features are random
• projects lack direction
• decisions aren’t documented
• scope keeps changing
• reviewers can’t understand intent

This phase fixes all of that.

It shows:

• product thinking
• planning skills
• engineering maturity
• ability to work like a professional

Which is exactly what recruiters and senior engineers look for.

Transition to Phase-2

With infrastructure ready
and requirements finalized

Phase-2 begins: System Setup & Initial Implementation

This is where:

• frontend and backend initialization starts
• architectural decisions become code
• testing and structure begin to matter

And now — we build with clarity.

What’s Next?

In Phase-2, I’ll cover:

• Initial backend setup
• Frontend bootstrapping
• Project configuration
• Early architectural decisions
• How everything connects together