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)