Roadmap Prioritization Planning

Roadmap & Prioritization Skill

Master the art of saying "no". Create focused roadmaps that align your organization, drive strategic outcomes, and maximize impact with limited resources.

RICE Scoring System (Complete)

Formula

RICE Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort

Reach: How many users affected? (1-100+)
- 10+ = 10
- 100+ = 100
- 1000+ = 1000

Impact: Per-user impact (3, 2, 1, 0.5)
- 3 = Massive (10x improvement)
- 2 = High (significant improvement)
- 1 = Medium (noticeable improvement)
- 0.5 = Low (minor improvement)

Confidence: How confident? (0.25-1.0)
- 1.0 = High (research backed)
- 0.8 = Medium (some validation)
- 0.5 = Low (minimal validation)
- 0.25 = Very low (assumption)

Effort: Engineer-weeks needed (1-20+)

Scoring Example Matrix

Feature          Reach Impact Confidence Effort RICE Score
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
User Onboarding   50    3      0.8      8      (50×3×0.8)/8 = 15.0
Dark Mode         200   1      0.9      4      (200×1×0.9)/4 = 45.0
API Limits        500   2      0.7      10     (500×2×0.7)/10 = 70.0
Performance Fix   1000  0.5    1.0      5      (1000×0.5×1)/5 = 100.0
Custom Fields     30    3      0.6      12     (30×3×0.6)/12 = 4.5

PRIORITIZE: Performance > API Limits > Dark Mode > Onboarding > Custom Fields

RICE Confidence Levels

High (1.0) - Research-backed

• Customer interviews conducted
• Data from analytics
• Customer support tickets confirming
• Clear customer demand

Medium (0.8) - Some validation

• Logical assumption
• One or two customers requesting
• Industry trends suggest it
• Similar features successful elsewhere

Low (0.5) - Minimal validation

• Educated guess
• Competitive pressure (they have it)
• Opportunity emerged
• Needs deeper validation

Very Low (0.25) - Pure assumption

• "Seems like good idea"
• No customer feedback
• No validation whatsoever
• High risk of waste

Alternative Prioritization Methods

Value vs Effort Matrix

           Low Effort      High Effort
High Value  QUICK WINS      STRATEGIC
           (Do first)      (Plan carefully)

Low Value   FILL-INS        AVOID
           (If time)       (Skip)

Quick Wins: High value, low effort

• Implement first for momentum
• Build confidence
• Show stakeholders progress
• Examples: Bug fixes, small features

Strategic: High value, high effort

• Long-term competitive advantage
• Requires planning and resources
• Examples: New platform, architecture

Fill-Ins: Low value, low effort

• Polish features
• Technical debt
• Do when capacity available

Avoid: Low value, high effort

• Waste of resources
• Say "no" clearly

MoSCoW Method (Simpler)

Must Have (Non-negotiable for launch)

• Core functionality
• Without these: launch doesn't happen
• Usually 40% of work

Should Have (Important but deferrable)

• Significant value
• Could launch without but less attractive
• Usually 30% of work

Could Have (Nice to have)

• Polish, nice features
• Do if budget/time allows
• Usually 20% of work

Won't Have (Explicitly out of scope)

• Clearly deferred
• Helps stakeholders understand priorities
• Usually 10% of work

Kano Model (Customer Satisfaction)

Three feature categories:

Basic Factors (Threshold)

• Expected to be present
• Absence = very dissatisfied
• Presence = satisfied (not delighted)
• Example: Core app functionality
• No competitive advantage

Performance Factors (Linear)

• More = more satisfaction
• Less = less satisfaction
• Competitive advantage
• Examples: Speed, customization options
• Scales continuously

Delighters (Excitement)

• Unexpected features
• Presence = delighted
• Absence = neutral
• High competitive advantage
• Examples: Surprising UX, hidden features

Strategy: Must haves first, then performance, then delighters for differentiation

Roadmap Planning Process

12-Month Strategic Roadmap

Structure:

Q1 2025: Initiative Theme
├─ Goal: Business outcome
├─ Key Features: 2-3 major features
├─ Success Metrics: How you measure
└─ Resource: Team size needed

Q2 2025: Initiative Theme
Q3 2025: Initiative Theme
Q4 2025: Initiative Theme

Quarterly Planning Process

Timeline: Plan month before quarter starts

Week 1: Data Gathering

• Customer feedback from last quarter
• Support tickets and issues
• Competitive landscape changes
• Team retrospective learnings
• Metrics review vs targets

Week 2: Prioritization

• Apply RICE scoring
• Consider strategic goals
• Assess resource availability
• Get engineering estimates
• Map dependencies

Week 3: Planning

• Break stories into sprints
• Allocate resources
• Identify risks
• Plan communication

Week 4: Alignment & Launch

• Present roadmap to stakeholders
• Engineering team commitment
• Executive buy-in
• All hands announcement

Sprint Planning (Weekly)

Monday: Planning

• Pick features for sprint
• Break into user stories
• Estimate effort
• Assign owners
• Identify blockers

Daily: Standups

• What did you do?
• What's blocking you?
• What's next?
• 15 minutes max

Friday: Retrospective

• What went well?
• What needs improvement?
• Velocity tracking
• Plan adjustments for next sprint

Resource Allocation

Team Capacity Planning

Team Size: 5 engineers
Sprint Length: 2 weeks
Typical Capacity: 40-50 story points

Planning Reality:
- 50% unplanned work (bugs, interrupts)
- 20% operational tasks
- 30% feature development

Result: 50 points × 30% = 15 points for features
→ Add MUST have items first
→ Fill remaining capacity with SHOULD/COULD