Picking which features to prioritise can be a big challenge for the product team. A prioritisation framework helps managers take on this task by ranking product features based on their value for the user, cost of implementation, and other variables.

 

Prioritisation Frameworks

Here are three well-known ways in which product teams rank and organise the features of their products:

The MoSCoW Method

This prioritisation strategy has been around since the mid-90s. It was developed by Oracle consultant Dai Clegg and is used in DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development Method) agile models. 

The most prominent feature of the MoSCoW method is that it clearly divides the product features based on their importance. This division is useful for finishing work within a defined deadline.

MoSCoW product management divides the priorities into four categories and takes its name from the first letters of these four:

1. Must Have
2. Should Have
3. Could Have
4. Won’t Have

Must Have

The must-haves are those features that are essential for launching the product. For example, if it would be illegal to release the product without meeting a requirement, that requirement falls into the must-have category. 

Should Have

This category contains features that are very important and may need a temporary workaround but cannot be considered essential. If an important feature can be released later, it fits in this category.

Could Have

The difference between the should-have and the could-have is the value the feature offers customers. In other words, these features will be delivered at the product launch only if the team has enough time and resources.

Won’t Have

The wont-have is for the things that will not be part of the product launch. Any feature that does not offer enough value to users is a won’t have.

 

2. The Kano Model

The Kano model is a product development method that measures customer satisfaction and the functionality of the product. It was developed by Prof. Noriaki Kano of the Tokyo University of Science in the mid-80s.

Satisfaction

The prioritisation model plots satisfaction (Y-axis) and functionality (X-axis). Customers have five choices to express their satisfaction: 

1. Delighted 
2. Satisfied 
3. Neutral 
4. Dissatisfied 
5. Frustrated 

Functionality

The meaning of the term functionality can vary. For example, it can mean how well the solution was implemented. The functionality scale has the following markers: 

1. None
2. Some
3. Basic
4. Good
5. Best

Features

There are four features or emotional responses:

• Must Be or Expected

These are all the features people have come to expect in the product. For example, the delete post feature on social media apps. The unavailability of this feature will dissatisfy users, but having it won’t delight them because they are expecting it.

• Performance

In Kano literature, performance means the features for increasing customer satisfaction. The more, the merrier is the mantra when it comes to performance. For example, the quantity and quality of cameras in a smartphone are its performance features. The more features the phone has, the more attractive it becomes for smartphone users.

• Delightful or Attractive

These are the less-explored features that end up exciting the customers. Think about the first time you played a game and were delighted by the graphics.

• Indifferent

Internet Explorer is probably the most well-known feature of Windows that most users don’t care about. If something doesn’t have an impact (positive or negative), it fits in this category.   

 

3. The Rice Framework

For managers who prefer a system where they score each feature, Intercom’s RICE framework is an option to consider. The term RICE stands for: 

• Reach 
• Impact 
• Confidence 
• Effort

Reach

Reach means the number of people the feature will impact in a given time. For example, if 10% of 10,000 existing customers read your marketing messages this quarter, the Reach is 1000 customers per quarter.

Impact

The Impact of a feature on the goal (conversion, adoption, etc.) is measured on a multiple-choice scale consisting of 5 data points.

• 3 means “massive impact” 
• 2 is used for “high-impact” 
• 1 for “medium” 
• 0.5 for “low” 
• 0.25 for “minimal” impact

Confidence

The confidence metric is there to help qualify enthusiasm for a feature. It has three percentage values:

• 50% for low confidence
• 80% for medium
• 100% for high 

The more information you have about users and the effort, the greater the confidence score you can assign to the product feature.

Effort

Effort in the RICE prioritisation model means the time it will take all departments to develop the feature. The effort is measured in person months.

Example: “This only requires a week of planning, no new design, and a few weeks of engineering time. I’ll give it an effort score of 1 person-month.”

 

The RICE Formula

The formula for calculating the RICE score is as follows: 

(Reach x Impact x Confidence)/ Effort

RICE Scoring Example: So, if the Reach is 1000, Impact is 2, Confidence is 80%, and Effort is 1, then the score is 1600.

Product managers use many different frameworks to ensure they prioritise properly. These three popular models help businesses look at features from different perspectives.