Product Requirements Document
Electra Consumer — the self-service mobile & web app for consumers of an Indian electricity distribution company (discom).
Legend
P0 Must-have
P1 Should-have
P2 Nice-to-have
MVP
Fast follow
Later
1Overview & vision
Problem
Consumers of electricity distribution companies still depend on physical service centres, call-centre queues, and disconnected web portals for routine tasks: applying for a new connection, paying a bill, or reporting an outage. The experiences are fragmented across categories (domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural), opaque about status and timelines, and hard to use on a phone — which is where most consumers actually are.
Vision
One app for everything a consumer needs from their discom. Electra Consumer turns every high-friction, paperwork-heavy interaction into a guided, trackable, mobile-first digital flow — with transparent status, timelines, and payments — while remaining usable for first-time smartphone users across languages and low-connectivity conditions.
Value proposition
For consumers
Apply, pay, and complain in minutes — with clear status and no branch visits.
For the discom
Lower call-centre & counter load, faster collections, cleaner data, fewer disputes.
For the regulator
Auditable SLAs, transparent grievance redressal, and digital-first inclusion.
2Goals, non-goals & success metrics
Goals
- Make bill payment the effortless default — shift consumers from cash/counter to in-app digital payment.
- Digitise the full application lifecycle (new connection, upgrade, disconnection) end-to-end with status tracking.
- Give every complaint a ticket, an SLA, and a visible resolution path.
- Deflect routine queries from the call centre through self-service and clear information.
- Be genuinely usable for first-time / low-literacy users, in regional languages, on low-end devices.
Non-goals (for v1)
- Field-force / lineman operations app (separate internal product).
- Full CRM / back-office workflow tooling for discom staff.
- Discom-to-discom or B2B power trading features.
- Home IoT / appliance control.
Success metrics (KPIs)
| Metric | Definition | Target (12 mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Digital bill-pay adoption | % of bills paid in-app vs all channels | ≥ 45% |
| Application digital share | % of applications initiated in-app | ≥ 60% |
| Application TAT | Median time from submit to resolution | ↓ 30% vs baseline |
| Complaint SLA adherence | % complaints resolved within SLA | ≥ 90% |
| Call-centre deflection | ↓ in routine calls (bill/status/payment) | ↓ 25% |
| Activation | % of installs that link ≥1 connection | ≥ 70% |
| App store rating | Weighted iOS + Android rating | ≥ 4.3★ |
3Personas
Domestic · high volume
Rekha — household consumer
Pays a monthly domestic bill, occasionally reports no-supply. Wants speed, reminders, receipts, and a regional-language interface. Moderately comfortable with UPI.
Commercial
Imran — shop / office owner
Runs a commercial connection; cares about uptime, quick reconnection, GST-friendly receipts, and applying for load changes as the business grows.
Industrial (HT)
Sunita — plant facility manager
Manages one or more HT connections; needs consumption analytics, high-value payments, deposit tracking, and formal grievance escalation.
Agricultural
Kishan — farm consumer
Subsidised agricultural connection; low digital fluency, values simplicity, voice/vernacular support, DBT subsidy visibility, and offline-tolerant flows.
Prosumer
Arjun — rooftop-solar owner
Domestic consumer with net metering; wants to see units exported, net billing, and the status of his solar/net-metering application.
Assisted
Meena — service-centre agent
Helps walk-in consumers; a lightweight assisted-mode consideration (not a separate app) for onboarding on a consumer's behalf.
4Scope
✅ In scope
- Consumer auth, onboarding, multi-account linking
- Applications: new connection (all categories), upgrade/downgrade, disconnection/reconnection, category change, ownership transfer
- Complaints & grievance redressal with SLA tracking
- Payments: bills, prepaid recharge, application fees, deposits
- Bills & consumption history and analytics
- Profile, preferences, document locker
- Notifications (push / SMS / in-app)
- Help & support, self-service content
- Rooftop-solar / net-metering & DBT subsidy visibility
🚫 Out of scope (v1)
- Discom staff / field-force tooling
- Back-office workflow engine (consumed via API)
- Appliance-level IoT control
- Third-party marketplace / cross-sell beyond energy
- Fully offline transaction processing
🧭
Screen-by-screen structure and flows are intentionally deferred to the Information Architecture. This PRD defines what and why; the IA defines how it's organised.
5Assumptions, dependencies & constraints
| Area | Dependency / assumption |
|---|---|
| Billing & CRM | Discom core system exposes APIs for consumer accounts, bills, payments posting, and account status. |
| Application backend | A workflow/BPM system accepts application submissions and returns stage + status updates. |
| Payments | Payment gateway supporting UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets, and BBPS biller integration; auto-debit/e-mandate rails. |
| Identity | SMS provider for OTP; KYC via document upload (and optionally Aadhaar-based e-KYC where permitted). |
| Meter data | Consumption/interval data available for analytics; smart-meter/prepaid balance where deployed. |
| Solar telemetry | For prosumers: bidirectional (net) meter interval data from the discom's MDM/HES, and generation telemetry from the inverter OEM cloud API (15-min granularity assumed) for intraday views. |
| Notifications | Push (FCM/APNs), SMS (DLT-registered templates), optional WhatsApp/email. |
| Compliance | Must align with regulator (SERC) grievance norms, CGRF, and India's DPDP Act for personal data. |
| Constraint | Must work on low-end Android and 2G/3G/patchy networks; regional-language support required. |
6Auth & onboarding
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUTH-1 | Mobile-number signup/login with OTP | P0 | MVP |
| AUTH-2 | Link a consumer account via CA / consumer number (validated against billing system), with add-multiple support | P0 | MVP |
| AUTH-3 | Manage & switch between multiple linked connections under one login | P0 | MVP |
| AUTH-4 | Biometric / PIN app-lock for returning users | P1 | MVP |
| AUTH-5 | KYC capture (identity + address proof upload); e-KYC where permitted | P1 | Fast follow |
| AUTH-6 | Guest / quick bill-pay without account (pay by consumer number) | P1 | Fast follow |
| AUTH-7 | Language selection at first launch; changeable anytime | P0 | MVP |
| AUTH-8 | Session management, logout, device de-link, account recovery | P0 | MVP |
| AUTH-9 | Branded launch screen — animated wordmark transitioning into login | P2 | MVP |
7Home & dashboard
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOME-1 | Snapshot of the active connection: outstanding amount with due date & days-left, and consumption with % change vs last month | P0 | MVP |
| HOME-2 | Quick actions: Pay bill · New application · Raise complaint · View usage | P0 | MVP |
| HOME-3 | Active items feed: in-progress applications & open complaints with status | P0 | MVP |
| HOME-4 | Alerts banner: outage in area, scheduled maintenance, disconnection warning | P1 | Fast follow |
| HOME-5 | Connection switcher when multiple accounts are linked | P0 | MVP |
| HOME-6 | Consumption highlight (% up/down vs last cycle) with tap-through to analytics | P1 | MVP |
8Applications
The application module is the most complex surface. Every application type shares a common spine: eligibility & category selection → guided form → document upload → fee/deposit payment → submission → status tracking with timeline → outcome.
8.1 New connection
Supported categories, each with its own document checklist, load-sanction rules, and fee/deposit computation:
🏠 Domestic / LT
🏪 Commercial
🏭 Industrial / HT
🌾 Agricultural
⏱️ Temporary
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| NC-1 | Category picker with eligibility guidance & expected timeline/fees upfront | P0 | MVP |
| NC-2 | Category-specific dynamic form (applicant, premises, sanctioned load, phase, purpose) | P0 | MVP |
| NC-3 | Document checklist & upload (ID, address, ownership, layout/NOC as applicable) with per-doc validation | P0 | MVP |
| NC-4 | Fee & security-deposit estimate before payment; itemised breakdown | P0 | MVP |
| NC-5 | Pay application/processing fee inline; deposit payable at sanction stage | P0 | MVP |
| NC-6 | Save-as-draft & resume later (multi-session applications) | P1 | MVP |
| NC-7 | Status tracker with named stages (submitted → scrutiny → site inspection → estimate/demand note → payment → installation → energised) | P0 | MVP |
| NC-8 | Respond to deficiency / re-submit documents when returned | P1 | Fast follow |
| NC-9 | Self-serve site-inspection scheduling / rescheduling | P2 | Later |
8.2 Connection upgrade & other modifications
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPG-1 | Load enhancement (increase sanctioned load) with revised deposit/fee | P0 | MVP |
| UPG-2 | Load reduction / downgrade | P1 | Fast follow |
| UPG-3 | Phase change (single ↔ three phase) | P1 | Fast follow |
| UPG-4 | Category / tariff change (e.g. domestic → commercial) | P1 | Fast follow |
| UPG-5 | Name change / ownership transfer (with dues clearance check) | P1 | Later |
8.3 Disconnection & reconnection
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIS-1 | Request temporary (seasonal) or permanent disconnection with reason capture | P0 | MVP |
| DIS-2 | Show final-settlement / dues & refundable deposit before confirming | P0 | MVP |
| DIS-3 | Reconnection request (after voluntary or dues-related disconnection) | P0 | MVP |
| DIS-4 | Deposit refund status / tracking post permanent disconnection | P1 | Fast follow |
💡
All application types render in a single My Applications hub with filters by type and status, so a consumer sees everything in one place.
9Complaints & grievance redressal
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMP-1 | Categorised complaint types: no-supply/outage, billing dispute, meter fault, voltage fluctuation, safety hazard, theft/misuse report, other | P0 | MVP |
| CMP-2 | Conversational, AI-assisted submission: a voice-first bot conversation (speak or type) with live transcription, smart follow-up questions, severity capture via quick chips and an auto-composed complaint summary — replaces static forms entirely | P0 | MVP |
| CMP-3 | Every complaint gets a ticket ID, category SLA, and live status lifecycle (registered → assigned → in-progress → resolved → closed) | P0 | MVP |
| CMP-4 | Emergency / safety fast-path with prominent helpline & minimal steps | P0 | MVP |
| CMP-5 | Area-outage awareness: link a new no-supply complaint to a known outage to avoid duplicates | P1 | Fast follow |
| CMP-6 | Reopen / escalate; auto-escalation on SLA breach | P1 | Fast follow |
| CMP-7 | Formal grievance escalation to CGRF / Ombudsman with tracking | P1 | Later |
| CMP-8 | Resolution feedback / rating after closure | P2 | Fast follow |
| CMP-9 | Voice input with vernacular ASR; transcript shown as chat bubbles in the thread | P1 | MVP |
| CMP-10 | Message / comment thread on every complaint (consumer ↔ field crew), with mic input | P1 | MVP |
| CMP-11 | Reopen action only on closed complaints; open complaints use the message thread | P1 | MVP |
10Payments
Payments span two contexts: recurring electricity bills and one-off application-related charges (fees, security deposits, other demand notes). Both share one payment engine, methods, and receipt/history model.
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAY-1 | View current bill with itemised breakdown (energy charges, fixed/demand, duty, taxes, subsidy, arrears) | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-2 | Pay bill via UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets; BBPS-compliant | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-3 | Pay application fees & security deposits inline within an application | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-4 | Instant digital receipt; downloadable/shareable; GST-compliant where applicable | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-5 | Payment history across bills & applications, filterable per connection | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-6 | Robust failure/pending handling with reconciliation & auto-refund status | P0 | MVP |
| PAY-7 | Partial payment (where the discom permits) against arrears | P1 | Fast follow |
| PAY-8 | Auto-pay / e-mandate (standing instruction) for recurring bills | P1 | Fast follow |
| PAY-9 | Prepaid smart-meter recharge & low-balance top-up | P1 | Fast follow |
| PAY-10 | Advance payment / wallet credit against future bills | P2 | Later |
11Bills & usage
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| BILL-1 | Bill history with view/download of e-bills (PDF) | P0 | MVP |
| BILL-2 | Consumption history & trend charts (8+ months) with per-month bill total and net-metering solar credit clearly shown | P1 | Fast follow |
| BILL-3 | Tariff & slab information for the consumer's category | P1 | Fast follow |
| BILL-4 | Self-service meter-reading upload (where applicable) | P2 | Later |
| BILL-5 | Go-paperless toggle (e-bill only) | P2 | Fast follow |
12Profile & account management
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRO-1 | Personal details & contact info (with verified mobile/email) | P0 | MVP |
| PRO-2 | Linked-connections manager (add, label, remove, set primary) | P0 | MVP |
| PRO-3 | Communication & language preferences | P0 | MVP |
| PRO-4 | Document locker: KYC docs, bills, receipts, application papers | P1 | Fast follow |
| PRO-5 | Saved payment methods / mandates management | P1 | Fast follow |
| PRO-6 | Privacy controls & consent management (DPDP), data export/delete request | P0 | Fast follow |
13Notifications
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOT-1 | Bill-generated & bill-due reminders (with escalating pre-due nudges) | P0 | MVP |
| NOT-2 | Payment confirmation & failure alerts | P0 | MVP |
| NOT-3 | Application & complaint status-change alerts | P0 | MVP |
| NOT-4 | Outage & scheduled-maintenance alerts for the consumer's area | P1 | Fast follow |
| NOT-5 | Disconnection warning for overdue dues | P0 | MVP |
| NOT-6 | In-app notification centre + granular preference controls per channel (push/SMS/email/WhatsApp) | P1 | Fast follow |
14Support & help
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUP-1 | Searchable FAQ / help centre, contextual to the current screen | P1 | MVP |
| SUP-2 | Emergency & helpline numbers, click-to-call | P0 | MVP |
| SUP-3 | Nearest service-centre locator with hours & directions | P2 | Fast follow |
| SUP-4 | Assisted chat / chatbot for common queries & guided flows | P2 | Later |
15Solar & net metering (prosumer)
A first-class module for prosumers — consumers who generate rooftop solar power under a net-metering arrangement. It covers the full lifecycle: apply → install → commission → monitor → settle. Once a connection is commissioned as net-metered, the app unlocks a dedicated Solar surface with generation, import/export and credit visibility. Ships as its own release (see §18).
15.1 Rooftop solar application
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOL-1 | Apply for rooftop solar / net-metering connection: proposed capacity (kWp), premises, sanctioned-load & eligibility check (capacity caps per SERC norms), empanelled-installer selection or self-declared vendor | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-2 | Document upload for solar: ownership/roof rights, electrical layout/SLD, installer & equipment certificates; feasibility & registration fee payment inline | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-3 | Solar-specific status tracker: submitted → feasibility study → technical approval → installation → net-meter installation (bidirectional) → commissioning/synchronisation → net-metering agreement signed | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-4 | Central/state subsidy linkage: show applicable subsidy (e.g. PM Surya Ghar), application status and disbursal against the solar application | P1 | Solar release |
15.2 Generation & net-metering monitoring
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOL-5 | Solar dashboard: today's generation (kWh), live output (kW), system status, capacity utilisation, and an animated sun-level indicator (high / medium / low) | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-6 | Generation charts across today / this week / this month at 15-min · hourly · daily granularity (thin-bar profiles with per-range summaries) | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-7 | Daily/weekly/monthly generation history with comparisons (vs yesterday, vs same day last week, vs estimate) | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-8 | Grid interaction view: units imported from grid vs exported to grid vs self-consumed, per day and per billing cycle, with net position (net importer/exporter) | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-9 | Intraday import/export split alongside the generation curve (when net-meter interval data is available) | P1 | Solar release |
| SOL-10 | Underperformance & inverter-offline alerts (e.g. zero generation on a sunny day) | P1 | Solar release |
15.3 Net-metering billing & settlement
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOL-11 | Net-metering bill view: gross consumption, solar self-consumption, exported units, banked-unit credits applied, net billed units & amount | P0 | Solar release |
| SOL-12 | Banked-credit ledger: carry-forward units per cycle and annual settlement (payout or lapse per SERC rules) with status | P1 | Solar release |
| SOL-13 | Savings summary: estimated ₹ saved this cycle / lifetime from solar (self-consumption + export credits) | P1 | Solar release |
| SOL-14 | Solar notifications: generation anomaly, export credit posted, settlement processed, agreement renewal due | P1 | Solar release |
| SOL-15 | Solar document wallet: net-metering agreement, commissioning certificate, warranty & installer details in the document locker | P2 | Later |
☀️
The Solar surface is conditional: it appears only for connections flagged as net-metered (or with a solar application in flight). Non-prosumers see the "go solar" entry point instead — capacity/savings estimator and the SOL-1 application.
15.4 Other value-added services
| ID | Requirement | Priority | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAS-1 | DBT / subsidy status visibility (esp. agricultural & domestic) | P2 | Later |
| VAS-2 | Energy-saving tips & usage nudges | P2 | Later |
| VAS-3 | EV-charging connection interest / info | P2 | Later |
16Non-functional requirements
⚡ Performance
App cold-start < 3s on low-end Android; key screens interactive < 1.5s on 3G; graceful skeletons & retries.
🔒 Security & privacy
Encrypted transit & at rest; PII minimisation; DPDP-compliant consent, data export & deletion; PCI-DSS handled by gateway (no card storage in-app); OTP/rate-limiting; audit logging.
♿ Accessibility & inclusion
WCAG 2.1 AA targets; screen-reader labels; scalable text; high-contrast; multilingual (English + major regional languages); simple language for low-literacy users.
📶 Reliability & offline
Tolerant of flaky networks; cache last bill/status for offline view; idempotent payment submission; clear pending states.
📈 Scalability
Handle bill-cycle & due-date payment spikes; queue-backed payment reconciliation.
🧩 Maintainability & platform
Shared design system across iOS, Android & responsive web; feature flags; config-driven category/document rules to adapt without releases.
17Key user journeys (high-level)
Narrative flows only — detailed screen-by-screen flows live in the IA.
Pay this month's bill
Open app→Home shows due bill→Tap Pay→Choose UPI→Confirm→Receipt
Apply for a new domestic connection
New application→Pick category→Fill form→Upload docs→See fee estimate→Pay fee→Track status
Report a power outage (conversational)
＋ New complaint→Pick category→Speak to the bot 🎤→Severity chip→Auto summary → submit→Ticket + SLA + thread
Enhance sanctioned load
My connection→Upgrade load→New load + docs→Revised deposit→Pay→Track to energised
Go solar (prosumer)
Apply: rooftop solar→Capacity + installer + docs→Feasibility & approval→Install + net meter→Commissioned→Solar dashboard unlocked
Check my solar today (prosumer)
Home solar card→Today's generation→Intraday curve→Import vs export→Credits & savings
18Release plan / phasing
MVPLaunch
Foundations + core self-service. Auth & multi-account, home dashboard, bill view & payment (UPI/cards/netbanking, BBPS), new connection + load enhancement + disconnection/reconnection with status tracking, categorised complaints with SLA, receipts & payment history, notifications for bills/payments/status, profile essentials, help/helpline, language support.
Fast follow+1–2 cycles
Depth & convenience. KYC/e-KYC, guest bill-pay, auto-pay/e-mandate, prepaid recharge, partial payment, consumption analytics & tariff info, deficiency re-submission, outage-linking & SLA auto-escalation, document locker, notification preference centre, feedback ratings, DPDP data controls.
Solar release+2–3 cycles
Prosumer module (§15). Rooftop-solar / net-metering application with solar-specific stages, solar dashboard with daily + intraday generation, grid import/export & self-consumption views, net-metering bill breakdown, banked-credit ledger & settlement, solar alerts and subsidy linkage.
LaterRoadmap
Advanced & value-adds. Ownership transfer, category change, self-serve inspection scheduling, CGRF/Ombudsman escalation, solar document wallet, DBT/subsidy visibility, chatbot, meter-reading upload, energy tips, EV-charging.
19Analytics & instrumentation
Instrument to measure the KPIs in §2. Core events to capture:
- Onboarding: app_open, signup_started, otp_verified, connection_linked, language_selected.
- Payments: bill_viewed, pay_initiated, pay_method_selected, pay_success/fail, receipt_downloaded, autopay_enabled.
- Applications: application_started (by type/category), doc_uploaded, fee_paid, application_submitted, status_viewed, deficiency_responded.
- Complaints: complaint_started (by category), complaint_submitted, status_viewed, reopened, feedback_submitted.
- Engagement: notification_received/opened, quick_action_used, connection_switched.
🔐
All analytics must respect DPDP consent and avoid capturing sensitive PII in event payloads.
20Risks & open questions
| # | Risk / open question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| R-1 | Depth & latency of billing/CRM & workflow APIs — real-time status may be constrained by legacy systems. | Risk |
| R-2 | Category document checklists & fee/deposit rules vary by state/regulator — need config-driven rules, not hardcoding. | Risk |
| Q-1 | Which regional languages ship at MVP, and is voice/vernacular assistance in scope for agri users? | Open |
| Q-2 | Is Aadhaar-based e-KYC permitted for this discom, or document-upload only? | Open |
| Q-3 | Extent of prepaid smart-meter rollout — how prominent should prepaid be at launch? | Open |
| Q-4 | Is an assisted/agent-onboarding mode needed, or purely consumer self-service? | Open |
| Q-5 | Partial-payment policy — allowed, and under what dues conditions? | Open |
| R-3 | Solar generation telemetry depends on inverter OEM cloud APIs (varied vendors, uneven quality) — may need an aggregator or fall back to net-meter interval data only. | Risk |
| Q-6 | Net-metering settlement rules (banking period, payout rate, capacity caps) vary by SERC — confirm the operating state's regulation before build. | Open |
| Q-7 | Is gross metering / net billing (vs net metering) also in scope for larger prosumers? | Open |
| R-4 | Conversational intake depends on ASR + LLM quality in vernacular languages — needs fallback to typed chat and human review of auto-summaries. | Risk |
| Q-8 | Voice processing: on-device vs cloud ASR — DPDP consent & retention policy for voice clips. | Open |
✅
Next step: once this PRD is finalised, we move to the Information Architecture — sitemap, navigation model and detailed flows — followed by the styled interactive prototype.