1. Identify the version being reviewed
Choose an internal policy and name its owner, current approved version, and proposed revision. Decide how readers distinguish an approved document from a draft.
FREE CLAUDE & CODEX PLUGIN TEMPLATE
Document Management PRD | System Requirements Template
Define how documents move from registration through review, approval, version changes, and retention. This free document management PRD example helps your team agree the workflow before building a DMS or planning custom extensions.
Guide updated:
View source on GitHub · MIT licensed
USE CASE
Who this template is for
Product managers, document owners, and developers planning a custom document management workflow or an extension to an existing DMS
CONTENTS
What the template includes
- Document authoring and file registration
- Document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup
- Review, approval, version management, and retention handling
- Document freshness, approval delay, and retention-policy reporting
VIBESPEC VIEWER
See the plan in VibeSpec
Each screen is generated from the public SOT included with this template.
Open this screen in the live demo 
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Open this screen in the live demo PRACTICAL GUIDE
Turn DMS requirements into a reviewable document workflow
A list of vendor features does not explain how your team approves and maintains a document. Start with one document type, its owner, and the states it passes through. Use this planning example to compare the PRD with the feature specification, screen structure, and user flow. Review the HTML with document owners, then give the SOT JSON and agreed changes to VibeSpec. Evaluate vendors, storage infrastructure, and applicable retention obligations separately.
Worked example: revise an approved internal policy
This proposed review exercise illustrates requirements to agree with your team. It is not a claim that the demo stores documents or enforces retention rules.
2. Describe rejection and resubmission
Suppose a reviewer rejects the new draft. Specify where the reason is recorded, who may revise it, and which version remains available to readers while review continues.
3. Set access and retention decisions
Decide who may approve, archive, or delete a version and which history must remain visible. Ask VibeSpec to add the agreed acceptance criteria; have responsible owners review retention requirements before implementation.
What this Document Management System actually includes
Document authoring and file registration
For document authoring and file registration, define the required context, classification rules, and duplicate or missing-data checks before work enters the operating queue.
Document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup
For document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup, keep status, owner, priority, and change history together so the team can find the complete operating context.
Review, approval, version management, and retention handling
In review, approval, version management, and retention handling, connect assignment, approval or rejection, exception handling, and completion confirmation as one accountable workflow.
Document freshness, approval delay, and retention-policy reporting
Use document freshness, approval delay, and retention-policy reporting to track due dates, bottlenecks, exceptions, and completion outcomes by team, period, and operating category.
Policy, access, and integration foundations
Set the role-based access, audit history, notifications, and external-system boundaries that Document Management System needs to operate safely.
Start in three steps, even without planning experience
1. Review the complete HTML with your team
The download opens in a browser without setup. Compare the PRD, feature specification, screen structure, and user flow with the work your team does today.
2. Name your operating rules
Write down real user roles, required data, approval rules, exceptions, and success metrics. Start with the core flow from document authoring and file registration through review, approval, version management, and retention handling.
3. Give the SOT JSON to VibeSpec
Attach the SOT JSON in Claude or Codex with the VibeSpec plugin and describe the change in plain language. VibeSpec keeps requirements, features, screens, and user flows connected.
Adapt this Document Management System for your team
Rename terms and states first
Replace the template vocabulary, states, and classification with the terms your team uses. Keep document authoring and file registration and document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup consistent.
Make roles, approvals, and exceptions explicit
Define who registers, reviews, approves, processes, and confirms completion, plus the conditions that trigger rejection or reprocessing in review, approval, version management, and retention handling.
Keep screens, metrics, and integrations connected
Decide what document freshness, approval delay, and retention-policy reporting should measure, then connect any SSO, messaging, or adjacent-system integration to the related screens and user flow.
Capabilities to add next
Automation and notifications
Create a separate Document Management System initiative for due-date alerts, owner assignment, approval reminders, and exception follow-up.
External-system integrations
Before connecting Document Management System to source data or adjacent systems, define synchronization cadence, failure handling, access boundaries, and audit records.
Operations analytics
Extend Document Management System with team, period, and category analysis plus action rules for deteriorating completion or service levels.
Prompts you can use with VibeSpec
Adapt it to our terminology and roles
Adapt this Document Management System for our team. Ask about our user roles, states, required fields, and approval steps first, then update the requirements, screens, and user flows together.Simplify it into an MVP
Reduce this Document Management System to an MVP that keeps document authoring and file registration, document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup, and review, approval, version management, and retention handling. Move automation and external integrations into separate initiatives.Add operations automation
Create a separate initiative on top of this Document Management System for due-date alerts and automatic owner assignment. Keep the connection to the existing screens and user flow.Document Management System FAQ
Can I use this template without development experience?
Yes. The complete HTML opens in a browser for review and sharing. To adapt the plan, attach the SOT JSON to Claude or Codex with the VibeSpec plugin and describe the change in plain language.
What is included in this planning template?
It includes document authoring and file registration, document, folder, version, owner, and approval-status lookup, review, approval, version management, and retention handling, and document freshness, approval delay, and retention-policy reporting, plus foundations for access, audit history, notifications, and integrations.
What is the difference between the HTML and SOT JSON downloads?
The HTML is a complete planning document for reading and sharing. The SOT JSON is source data that VibeSpec can update while keeping requirements, features, screens, and user flows connected.
How should I add a new capability?
For a discrete capability such as automation, integration, or additional analytics, create and review a separate initiative before changing the product plan broadly.
Is this a DMS selection checklist or a functional requirements example?
It is a PRD and functional requirements planning example for a document workflow. It does not score vendors or certify regulatory compliance. If you are selecting a DMS, assess supplier capabilities, migration, storage, contracts, and relevant obligations separately. The HTML demo displays the plan, not a live document repository.
WORKFLOW
Use it with VibeSpec
- Open the complete HTML file to review or share it immediately.
- Download the SOT JSON and load it in the VibeSpec viewer.
- Adapt the features, screens, and flows for your team.