Prioritization is one of the hardest parts of product management. With so many ideas, requests, and tasks coming from different stakeholders, how do you decide what to work on first? More reasons why you need the RICE framework. It’s a simple but powerful prioritization method that helps product managers make informed decisions using data, not just gut feeling.
In this post, we’ll explore what the RICE scoring model is, how it works, and how you can use it to build a better product roadmap. We’ll also share some best practices for using the RICE method to help your product team prioritize effectively and deliver value to your customers.
The RICE Framework or scoring model is a simple method that helps product managers decide which features, products, or tasks should come first. It is an acronym that stands for:
These are the four factors used to score and rank product ideas. The RICE prioritization framework was created by Intercom, a company known for its smart and customer-focused products. It’s a framework designed to help product professionals quantify the potential value of a product initiative.
Using a scoring system, the RICE model helps you compare different projects by assigning them a final RICE score. This makes it easier to prioritize what to do next and explain your decisions to the rest of the team.
Many product teams struggle with prioritization. There are always more ideas than time, and not all ideas have the same value. Some features may have a high impact, but take too long to build. Others may be easy to implement, but only help a few users.
The RICE prioritization model helps solve this problem by giving you a clear, data-backed way to calculate the score of each idea. It lets you:
Using the RICE scoring method, product managers can make decisions based on actual numbers, not just gut feeling. This kind of product prioritization is useful when teams need to choose between several good ideas. Instead of debating endlessly, the RICE score gives a measurable way to compare options and move forward faster.
In fact, according to ProductPlan's 2023 Report, teams using structured prioritization methods like RICE saw a 37% improvement in priority alignment. That means fewer misunderstandings and more consistent evaluations.
It’s easy for teams to get excited about flashy ideas or lean too hard on opinions from the loudest voices in the room. But this can hurt your return on investment if you end up choosing features that don’t deliver real value to your users. The RICE model keeps things grounded. Because it’s based on clear metrics, it brings objectivity into your decision-making
When you use the RICE framework, you’re adding numbers to your planning process. These numbers act as guardrails to guide the direction of your product roadmap.
It also gives you a track record. If an initiative performs well, you can compare its original RICE score to the actual outcome and fine-tune your future prioritization accordingly.
Our case study will be Netflix. Their personalized recommendation system, which closely aligns with RICE-is estimated to be worth $1 billion annually. Around 80% of Netflix subscribers choose what to watch based on algorithmic suggestions. That’s the power of data-driven prioritization in action by building features that align with user behavior and business goals
RICE helps you focus on the right things, not just getting things done. By picking features with high impact and reach, low effort, and high confidence, you can build a roadmap that moves the needle for your users and your business.
Let’s take a closer look at each part of the RICE framework:
This measures how many people will be affected by the feature or project in a given time. You’ll need to decide what “reach” means for your project and choose a timeframe, like a month or a quarter. Usually, this is measured per quarter. For example:
You can use the data you have from analytics, user research, or surveys to estimate the reach score. The goal is to understand how many users your idea will touch.
Impact is about the value this feature brings to each user. Does it increase the conversion rate? Will it improve retention? Does it make the product better?
This is usually measured using a scale:
It’s not always exact, but it helps you compare ideas based on how much they could change user behavior.
Sometimes we have a great idea, but we’re not sure if it will actually work. That’s where we need confidence. Hence, it is measured as a percentage:
Use this score to reflect how certain you are about your estimates for reach and impact. If you don’t have much data to support your guess, lower your confidence score.
This measures how much time your team needs to complete the project. It’s usually estimated in person-months. This is the total amount of time one person will work on the feature full-time for one month.
For example:
Effort is the only factor in the formula that works against the final score. The more effort required, the lower the RICE score.
The formula is simple:
RICE Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort
Let’s say you’re evaluating a new feature:
Plug in the values:
RICE Score = (500 × 2 × 0.8) ÷ 2 = 400
This score helps you compare this feature to others. The higher the RICE score, the more valuable the feature, assuming your estimates are correct.
The RICE prioritization method fits smoothly into your existing product management process. Here’s how to implement the RICE scoring in your workflow:
Gather all your product initiatives, like features, updates, and experiments, into one list. This could be in a spreadsheet, project management tool, product discovery board or a Productlogz feedback board
It's important that you use the four RICE factors to score each idea. Talk to your product team, designers, engineers, and stakeholders to get realistic estimates for reach, impact, confidence, and effort.
Once each idea is scored, calculate the RICE score using the formula. Sort your list by score from highest to lowest.
You have to make prioritization decisions using the scores. Start with the highest-scoring ideas, especially those with high impact and reach scores, high confidence, and low effort. These are the features that deliver the most value for the least cost.
Let your team and stakeholders have an idea of what the product roadmap is. The RICE framework gives you a clear way to explain why some ideas were chosen and others were not. It makes your decision-making more transparent and easier to defend.
The RICE prioritization framework is great for:
It works especially well during roadmapping and product discovery, when you're comparing a lot of competing ideas.
No prioritization framework is perfect. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you use RICE:
Still, when used well, the RICE method helps you make more informed decisions and focus on the work that matters most.
The RICE framework is a powerful prioritization tool for product managers. It helps you focus on what truly matters and build a smarter product roadmap. When paired with a tool like ProductLogz, your RICE scores become even more meaningful, especially when estimating reach, impact, and confidence.
By using this quantitative method, you can improve your decision-making process, align with stakeholders, and deliver features that truly add value. So next time you're unsure what to build, let us guide your decisions.
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