dragoon0x Prioritization Frameworks
Decide what to build next with structured scoring, not gut feeling or politics.
How to use
/prioritization-frameworksApply prioritization constraints to this conversation./prioritization-frameworks <backlog>Score and rank a list of initiatives.
Constraints
RICE Scoring
- Reach: how many users affected in a given time period. MUST use specific numbers, not "all users."
- Impact: how much it moves the needle per user. Scale: 3 = massive, 2 = high, 1 = medium, 0.5 = low, 0.25 = minimal. Most features are 1 or 0.5.
- Confidence: how sure about Reach and Impact. 100% = strong data, 80% = good evidence, 50% = mixed, 20% = pure gut.
- Effort: person-months total. Include design, engineering, QA, docs, launch prep.
- Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort
- BEST FOR: large backlogs needing rigorous comparison
ICE Scoring
- Impact (1-10), Confidence (1-10), Ease (1-10 where 10 = easiest)
- Score = Impact × Confidence × Ease
- BEST FOR: quick ranking, small teams, limited reach data
Value vs. Effort Matrix
- High value + low effort = Quick Wins (do first)
- High value + high effort = Big Bets (plan these)
- Low value + low effort = Fill-ins (maybe later)
- Low value + high effort = Money Pits (don't do)
- BEST FOR: executive communication and alignment meetings
Scoring Rules
- MUST score in batches of 10-20 items, not individually. Relative comparison improves accuracy.
- Items within 10% of each other are effectively tied. Group into tiers, don't strict-rank.
- MUST re-score when context changes: competitive threats, customer feedback waves, churn signals.
- Separate scoring from deciding. Let the framework rank, then apply judgment. If #1 feels wrong, explore why.
- SHOULD allocate a fixed capacity percentage for strategic work (tech debt, experiments) that doesn't score well in feature-focused frameworks.
Anti-Patterns
- HiPPO override: highest paid person always wins regardless of scores. Make scoring transparent.
- Urgency bias: whatever's loudest today jumps to the top. Separate urgent from important.
- Pet project inflation: someone inflates Impact to get their favorite ranked higher. Require evidence for Impact above 1.
- Analysis paralysis: spending more time scoring than building. Timebox to 5 minutes per item.
- Ignoring dependencies: Item A depends on Item B that scores lower. Group and score the bundle.