How to Create Product Requirements in Airtable
Airtable is a flexible relational database that many product teams use to manage requirements because it combines spreadsheet familiarity with database power. Its linked record fields let you connect requirements to epics, tickets, and user personas in a single base.
This guide walks through building a requirements management system in Airtable from scratch, including the field structure, views, and workflows that keep requirements current throughout development.
Step-by-step guide
Create a Requirements base with the right tables
Start with three tables: Requirements, Epics, and Releases. In the Requirements table, add fields: ID (autonumber), Title (single line text), Description (long text), Priority (single select: P0, P1, P2, P3), Status (single select: Draft, In Review, Approved, In Dev, Done), Effort (single select: XS, S, M, L, XL), Type (single select: Functional, Non-functional, Constraint), and Epic (linked record to Epics table).
Add a rich Acceptance Criteria field
Create a long text field called Acceptance Criteria with rich text formatting enabled. Use a consistent template: Given [context], When [action], Then [outcome]. This format maps directly to test cases and prevents ambiguous requirements. Pin this field to be visible in the default grid view.
Build a Kanban view by Status
Create a Gallery or Kanban view grouped by the Status field. This gives you a visual pipeline from Draft through Done. Filter the view to hide archived items. Share this view with engineering and design leads so everyone sees the same requirement state without needing to edit.
Link requirements to Epics using linked records
In the Epics table, create a linked record field back to Requirements. This bidirectional link means you can open any Epic and see all its requirements, or open any requirement and jump to its Epic. Add a rollup field in Epics counting requirements by status to show completion progress.
Add an Attachments field for specs and mockups
Create an Attachments field in the Requirements table. When a requirement has a Figma link or design mockup, upload a screenshot and paste the URL in the Description. Airtable URLs are live links in grid view, letting engineers jump directly to Figma without asking the PM.
Set up a Sprint view using date grouping
Add a Target Sprint field (date) to each requirement. Create a Grid view grouped by Target Sprint with a filter showing only Approved and In Dev items. This gives engineering a prioritized, sprint-scoped view of committed requirements.
Use Airtable Automations to notify on status changes
Create an Automation triggered when Status changes to In Review: send a Slack message to the product channel with the requirement title and a link to the record. Add a second automation for when Status changes to Approved: notify the engineering lead. This replaces manual update messages.
Common mistakes
Using a single flat table for everything
Putting requirements, epics, releases, and personas in one table creates a maintenance nightmare. Use linked records to create proper relationships between tables. This enables rollups, cross-table filtering, and a clear data model.
Not locking down view permissions
Airtable's default sharing gives edit access to everyone with the link. Use the Permissions feature (available on Pro and Business plans) to lock specific fields or views as read-only for engineering. Requirements should be editable by PMs, readable by everyone else.
Skipping the acceptance criteria field
Requirements without acceptance criteria lead to done debates. Engineering considers it done when code ships; QA considers it done when it matches the spec. Write testable acceptance criteria before marking any requirement Approved.
Not using Airtable forms for intake
Airtable Forms let stakeholders submit requirements without direct database access. Create a form with the key fields and share the link in Slack. This keeps the base clean while allowing broad input.
Tips
Use the Airtable mobile app to capture requirements during customer calls in real time
Create a personal view filtered to your assigned requirements to reduce noise
Sync Airtable to Linear or Jira using Zapier or the native Linear integration to avoid double entry
Add a Comments field (Airtable's built-in comment thread on each record) for stakeholder discussion instead of email
How Vantage helps
Airtable requirements databases require manual population and maintenance. Vantage extracts requirements automatically from PRD content, assigns priority and effort, and generates dependency-aware tickets that push directly to Linear. The requirements stay linked to the PRD that generated them, so when the spec changes, requirement status updates automatically.