feature-prioritization

name	feature-prioritization
effort	high
description	Use when there are more things to build than capacity allows and the team needs a defensible, data-backed order. Triggers on: "backlog 정리", "우선순위 정해줘", P1이 너무 많아", "what to build next", "how do we decide", "backlog grooming", 피처 순위 매겨줘".
type	workflow
theme	pm-strategy
best_for	["Scoring and ranking a large backlog with RICE or MoSCoW","Resolving stakeholder disagreements about what to build next","Trimming scope for a specific cycle or quarter"]
scenarios	["P1이 너무 많아. 이번 분기에 뭐부터 해야 할지 모르겠어.","We have 50 items in the backlog. Help me figure out what to cut.","두 팀이 서로 다른 기능을 원해. 우선순위 기준을 만들어줘.","Score these features using RICE and give me a ranked list.","백로그에서 이번 분기 스코프를 잘라줘.","How do I explain to my VP why we're not building feature X?"]
estimated_time	45-90 min
compatibility	{"recommended":["think-tool"],"optional":["sequential-thinking","mcp-reasoner"],"remote_mcp_note":"think-tool이 있으면 RICE 점수의 근거와 트레이드오프 논리를 검증하는 데 도움이 됩니다. Claude 설정 → MCP Servers에서 remote SSE 엔드포인트를 추가하세요."}

Standing Mandates

• ALWAYS make scoring criteria explicit and agreed-upon before scoring anything.
• ALWAYS separate impact estimation from effort estimation to avoid anchoring bias.
• NEVER let stakeholder volume or seniority substitute for data in prioritization decisions.
• NEVER prioritize a backlog without first defining 'priority toward which goal this cycle'.

Feature Prioritization

Deciding what to build first — with a process that's defensible, data-informed, and repeatable.

When to Use / When Not to Use

Use	Do Not Use
Backlog has more items than team capacity	Deciding what goals to set (use okr-planning)
Stakeholders disagree on feature priority	Communicating the resulting roadmap (use roadmap-communication)
Trimming scope for a specific cycle	Writing a PRD for a single feature (use prd-development)
Need scoring rubric stakeholders can agree on	One-off small feature that needs no justification

Core Principle

Prioritization is not ranking by enthusiasm. It is making trade-offs explicit, using consistent criteria, and being willing to say what you are NOT building and why. A prioritized list with no reasoning is just a to-do list. A prioritized list with shared criteria is a team decision.

---

Framework 1: RICE Scoring

Use when you have a backlog of features and need a quantitative ranking to compare across initiatives.

Formula:

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

Factor	Definition	Scale
Reach	How many users affected per quarter	Absolute number (e.g., 5,000 users/quarter)
Impact	How much it moves the target metric per user	3 = massive, 2 = high, 1 = medium, 0.5 = low, 0.25 = minimal
Confidence	How confident are you in the estimates	100% = high evidence, 80% = medium, 50% = low
Effort	Total person-months of work	Absolute number (e.g., 2 person-months)

Walkthrough example:

Feature: In-app guided onboarding tour