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Prioritization Framework

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Overview

This framework helps us make strategic decisions about what to build, when to build it, and what to defer. We use multiple prioritisation methods depending on the context.

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Primary Method: RICE Scoring

RICE = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort

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Reach

How many users/customers will this impact in a given time period? Scale: Absolute numbers (users per quarter)
  • 1,000+ users/quarter = High reach
  • 100-1,000 users/quarter = Medium reach
  • Less than 100 users/quarter = Low reach
Examples:
  • Feature for all wealth managers: 500 users/quarter
  • Broker-specific improvement: 200 users/quarter
  • Admin tool: 20 users/quarter

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Impact

How much will this impact each user? Scale: 0-3 points
  • 3 = Massive - Core workflow transformation, major pain point solved
  • 2 = High - Significant improvement, notable time savings
  • 1 = Medium - Moderate improvement, nice-to-have
  • 0.5 = Low - Minor improvement, small quality of life gain
  • 0.25 = Minimal - Barely noticeable improvement
Examples (Wealth Management):
  • Automated portfolio rebalancing: 3 (massive time savings)
  • Enhanced reporting dashboard: 2 (significant improvement)
  • Customizable email templates: 1 (moderate improvement)
  • UI colour scheme update: 0.5 (low impact)

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Confidence

How confident are we in our Reach and Impact estimates? Scale: Percentage
  • 100% = High - Strong data, validated with customers, clear evidence
  • 80% = Medium - Some data, reasonable assumptions, limited validation
  • 50% = Low - Mostly assumptions, little validation, high uncertainty
Examples:
  • Customer-requested feature with usage data: 100%
  • Competitive feature with market research: 80%
  • Internal hypothesis without validation: 50%

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Effort

How much total work is required (product, design, engineering)? Scale: Person-months
  • 0.5 months = Quick win (days to 2 weeks)
  • 1 month = Small project (2-4 weeks)
  • 2-3 months = Medium project (1-2 sprints)
  • 6+ months = Large project (multi-sprint)
Include:
  • Engineering implementation time
  • Design and UX work
  • Testing and QA
  • Documentation
  • Deployment and rollout

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RICE Score Calculation

RICE Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort
Example: 
Feature: Automated portfolio rebalancing
Reach: 500 users/quarter
Impact: 3 (massive)
Confidence: 80%
Effort: 2 months

RICE = (500 × 3 × 0.8) / 2 = 600

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Prioritization Thresholds

  • RICE > 500 - High priority, schedule ASAP
  • RICE 100-500 - Medium priority, plan for next quarter
  • RICE < 100 - Low priority, backlog or defer

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Alternative Methods

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Value vs. Effort Matrix

Simple 2×2 matrix for quick prioritisation: 
High Value, Low Effort  → Quick Wins (do first)
High Value, High Effort → Strategic Investments (plan carefully)
Low Value, Low Effort   → Fill-ins (if capacity available)
Low Value, High Effort  → Time Sinks (avoid or defer)
Use when:
  • Need quick triage
  • Limited data available
  • Stakeholder alignment workshop

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MoSCoW Method

Categorize features into:
  • Must Have - Critical for launch, non-negotiable
  • Should Have - Important but not critical
  • Could Have - Nice to have if resources permit
  • Won’t Have - Explicitly out of scope
Use when:
  • Planning MVP or release scope
  • Managing stakeholder expectations
  • Deadline-driven projects

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Strategic Alignment

Score each opportunity on:
  1. Business Impact - Revenue, cost savings, market share
  2. Customer Value - Solves pain point, improves experience
  3. Strategic Fit - Aligns with company vision and OKRs
  4. Competitive Advantage - Differentiates us in market
Scale: 1-5 for each dimension Total score: Sum of all dimensions (max 20) Use when:
  • Annual roadmap planning
  • Executive decision-making
  • Multi-year strategic investments

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Financial Services Considerations

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Regulatory Priority Boost

Features required for compliance get automatic priority elevation:
  • SEC/FINRA mandates - Immediate priority
  • Regulatory best practices - High priority
  • Audit requirements - High priority

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Risk-Adjusted Prioritization

Consider:
  • Financial risk - Transaction accuracy, money movement
  • Operational risk - System stability, data integrity
  • Reputational risk - Customer trust, brand impact
High-risk features require:
  • Extra validation and testing
  • Phased rollout plans
  • Rollback procedures
  • Compliance review

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Client Segment Weighting

Weight reach by client value:
  • Enterprise clients - 3x multiplier
  • Mid-market clients - 2x multiplier
  • Retail clients - 1x multiplier
Example:
  • Feature reaching 100 enterprise clients = 300 effective reach

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Prioritization Process

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1. Intake

All opportunities go through discovery first (see /frameworks/discovery.md)

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2. Scoring

Product team scores each opportunity using RICE

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3. Review

Weekly product prioritisation session:
  • Review new opportunities
  • Re-score existing backlog items
  • Adjust for strategic shifts

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4. Planning

Quarterly roadmap planning:
  • Select top RICE-scored items
  • Balance quick wins and strategic investments
  • Ensure cross-functional alignment

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5. Communication

Share prioritisation decisions:
  • Publish roadmap to stakeholders
  • Explain rationale for decisions
  • Manage expectations on deferred items

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OKR Alignment

Ensure prioritisation supports company OKRs: Example OKR Framework: 
Objective: Improve wealth manager productivity
KR1: Reduce portfolio review time by 40%
KR2: Increase client meetings per week by 25%
KR3: Achieve 4.5+ satisfaction score from wealth managers

→ Prioritize features that directly impact these KRs

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Tools & Templates

  • RICE scoring spreadsheet: /templates/rice-scoring-template.csv
  • Value vs Effort matrix: /templates/value-effort-matrix.md
  • Prioritization workshop guide: /templates/prioritisation-workshop.md
  • Roadmap template: /templates/roadmap-template.md

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Review Cadence

  • Weekly: Product team reviews and scores new opportunities
  • Monthly: Review prioritisation decisions with stakeholders
  • Quarterly: Major roadmap planning and reprioritisation
  • Ad-hoc: Urgent requests or strategic pivots