Product Proposal Template for Product Teams

Two to four pages. If the approver needs more detail, they will ask. If they need less, they will skim to the Executive Summary and The Ask. The proposal should be self-contained: a reader should not need to open external documents to evaluate it.

Use a proposal when the initiative requires: (1) more than one sprint of dedicated engineering, (2) budget above your authority level, (3) headcount allocation from other teams, or (4) a strategic direction change. For smaller initiatives within your existing team and budget, a ticket with context is sufficient.

Ask for specific feedback: "What would need to change for this to be approved?" Common reasons: wrong timing, insufficient evidence, better alternatives exist, or the resource cost is too high. Address the feedback and resubmit in the next planning cycle. Most good ideas get rejected the first time and approved the second time with better framing.

Before, but share it as a draft. Write a v0.5 proposal to organize your own thinking, then circulate it for feedback using the [Feedback Request Template](/templates/feedback-request-template). Incorporate feedback and submit the final version for approval. Pre-socializing with the approver's trusted advisors (see the [Influence Map Template](/templates/influence-map-template)) significantly increases approval rates. ---