Article · ~12 min read

RICE: Simple Prioritization for Product Managers

Sean McBride · Intercom Blog Free Intermediate

The original, primary source where the RICE framework was introduced, cite this, not the SEO reposts. The clearest way to compare hard-to-compare feature ideas.

  • Score = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort.
  • Forces you to quantify confidence and expose low-confidence pet projects.
  • Comparable scores let you rank features objectively.
Open on intercom.com ↗

It answers 5 questions

  1. How do I decide what to build next?
  2. How do I say no to feature requests without losing customers?
  3. Every user interview gives me a different feature request. How do I turn messy feedback into a real prioritisation decision?
  4. What is a sane way to prioritise between fixing bugs, paying customer promises, and building the exciting new thing?
  5. How do I set a roadmap when half my revenue comes from one big customer who keeps asking for custom features?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. Turns the vague feeling of product-market fit into a number you can move. Ask users how they would feel if they could no longer... First Round Review Article · ~20 min read How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit Rahul Vohra
  3. The full book behind the essay, for when you want the system and not just the idea. It gives you the language of outcomes over... Melissa Perri (O'Reilly) Book · 200 pages Escaping the Build Trap Melissa Perri
  4. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  5. Basecamp's battle-tested, opinionated system for shipping meaningful work in fixed cycles without endless backlogs, a primary... Basecamp / 37signals Book · free online book Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters Ryan Singer
  6. Des Traynor makes the case that "no" is the product strategy, and that adding a feature for one loud customer quietly costs... Intercom (Des Traynor) Article · ~8 min read Product Strategy Means Saying No Des Traynor
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →