What tools and frameworks do you use to prioritize product requirements?

1 MoSCoW Method

One of the simplest and most popular ways to prioritize product requirements is to use the MoSCoW method, which stands for Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won't have. This method helps you categorize your requirements based on their criticality, value, and urgency. You can use the MoSCoW method to communicate your priorities to your stakeholders, as well as to plan your sprints and releases. However, you should also be aware of the limitations of this method, such as the ambiguity of the terms, the risk of overloading the Must have category, and the difficulty of quantifying the benefits and costs of each requirement.

2 Kano Model

Another useful framework to prioritize product requirements is the Kano model, which helps you understand how different features affect the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of your users. The Kano model classifies your features into five categories: Basic, Performance, Excitement, Indifferent, and Reverse. Basic features are the ones that your users expect and take for granted, such as security and reliability. Performance features are the ones that your users value and pay for, such as speed and quality. Excitement features are the ones that your users don't expect but delight them, such as innovation and personalization. Indifferent features are the ones that your users don't care about, such as irrelevant or redundant information. Reverse features are the ones that your users dislike or reject, such as intrusive ads or spam. You can use the Kano model to identify the features that will increase your user satisfaction and loyalty, as well as to avoid the features that will decrease them.

3 RICE Score

A more quantitative and data-driven way to prioritize product requirements is to use the RICE score, which stands for Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. This method helps you estimate the potential value and cost of each requirement by assigning a numerical score to each of the four factors. Reach is the number of users or customers who will benefit from the requirement in a given period. Impact is the degree of positive change that the requirement will create for your users or business. Confidence is the level of certainty that you have about your estimates of reach and impact. Effort is the amount of time and resources that the requirement will consume from your team. You can use the RICE score to compare and rank your requirements based on their value-to-cost ratio, as well as to validate your assumptions and hypotheses with data and evidence.

4 Prioritization Matrix

A more visual and collaborative way to prioritize product requirements is to use a prioritization matrix, which helps you plot your requirements on a two-dimensional grid based on two criteria. The most common criteria are value and feasibility, but you can also use other dimensions, such as urgency, risk, or complexity. A prioritization matrix helps you identify the requirements that are high-value and high-feasibility, which are the ones that you should focus on first, as well as the requirements that are low-value and low-feasibility, which are the ones that you should eliminate or postpone. You can use a prioritization matrix to facilitate discussions and decisions with your stakeholders, as well as to visualize and communicate your priorities clearly and effectively.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?