Feature Prioritization
Frameworks
RICE Score
- Reach: How many users affected per quarter?
- Impact: How much will it move the needle? (3=massive, 2=high, 1=medium, 0.5=low)
- Confidence: How sure are we? (100%, 80%, 50%)
- Effort: Person-months to build
- Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort
Impact vs Effort Matrix
Low Effort High Effort
High Quick Wins Big Bets
Impact (do first) (plan carefully)
Low Fill-ins Avoid
Impact (if time) (time sinks)
MoSCoW
- Must have: Product doesn't work without it
- Should have: Important but not critical
- Could have: Nice but can live without
- Won't have: Explicitly out of scope (this matters)
Saying No
- 'Not now' is better than 'no' (less confrontational)
- Explain the tradeoff: 'If we build X, we delay Y by 3 weeks'
- Ask: 'What would you cut to make room for this?'
- Document the decision and reasoning (prevents re-litigation)