Wrangling the doomscrolling backlog: Which prioritization methodology is best for product managers and teams?
Introduction
Project prioritization is a critical component of any successful product launch, and different teams use different strategies to prioritize tasks. Below is an exploration of two methodologies I’ve used frequently (and even made combined versions of to suit the needs of the teams I’ve worked with). They are the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) methodology and the RICE method.
Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF)
WSJF is a methodology used in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) for prioritizing tasks. I'm not generally a fan of SAFe writ large, but I do find WSJF quite handy. This methodology is based on the idea that work should be prioritized based on the “Cost of Delay,” but only after taking into account how long it will take to release. As Scaled Agile explains, WSJF is calculated by determining Cost of Delay, then dividing that score by the size or duration.
Cost of Delay can be calculated by adding the following three components together:
As Scaled Agile cautions, when determining the size, it’s important to consider not only the raw amount of effort the project will take, but also the duration of the project. At the end of the day, speed to market is important, so a team will need to decide, based on the collection of skills it has, whether to put multiple people onto the same project to reduce its duration or otherwise keep the duration longer by having less people working on it. These tradeoffs would facter into the size/duration score given to the project.
RICE Method
The RICE method (Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort) is another framework for prioritizing tasks based on the potential value they will have, taking effort into account. This method is focused on understanding the impact of a task and how confident the team is in the outcome of the work. This allows teams to prioritize tasks based on their potential value and how confident they are in the outcome.
The RICE Method is a four-step process for prioritizing tasks. The first step is to determine the Reach of a task, which is a measure of how many people the task will affect. The next step is to estimate the Impact of the task, which is a measure of how much value the task will provide. The third step is to assess the team's Confidence in the task, which is a measure of how confident the team is that the task will be successful. Finally, the fourth step is to calculate the Effort required to complete the task, which is a measure of the amount of time and resources required for the task.
Once these four steps are completed, the team can then prioritize the task based on the results by adding the Reach, Impact, and Confidence scores and dividing that sum by the Effort score (a bigger denominator results in a lower final score, meaning that when deciding between two things that provide the same amount of value, the one that requires less effort should be prioritized).
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Comparing the Two Approaches
Both the Weighted Shortest Job First and the RICE Method offer valuable frameworks for product management teams to use when prioritizing tasks. However, the two approaches are a bit different in terms of the factors they consider when assessing the value of work. WSJF takes into account the cost of delay and the value of the work, while the RICE method focuses on the potential impact and team confidence, while both use the level of effort as a denominator to offset the numerator.
Pro Tips
The scales you use for each dimension in these calculations can wildly impact the result. For instance, if your size/effort number (the denominator) is always on a scale that is an order of magnitude larger than the factors determining the numerator, then any change in the numerator might not have a big impact on the overall score. Thus, it’s important to decide what dimensions matter most in your calculations and set the weight of that dimension appropriately.
Ultimately, the most important thing is being consistent and objective. If you have multiple people or teams using the same prioritization methodology with the intent to compare priorities across teams, it would be best to provide a rubric for how each dimension should be scored.
Keep in mind that your big-bang, large-effort projects will most likely show up at the bottom of your list because of how much of an effect the size has on the score. It doesn’t mean you should never work on those things — it’s just a reminder to try and squeeze smaller projects into the gaps between larger, more strategic ones if the smaller projects are higher on the list due to the more immediate value they can provide.
If you've prioritized your backlog and still have trouble narrowing it down to a manageable, actionable list, try tagging your projects with themes or company strategies that are top of mind for your team and your company leadership. I just did this yesterday as my focus right now is improving the earlier stages of the buyer journey, so we focused on which aspects of acquisition and activation we can reduce friction on.
If you want more particulars about the exact parameters I'm using today, reach out. I'd be happy to share.
Conclusion
Both the Weighted Shortest Job First and the RICE Method offer valuable frameworks for product management teams to use when prioritizing tasks. The WSJF methodology focuses on the cost of delay and the value of the work, while the RICE method focuses on potential impact and team confidence. Ultimately, it is up to the team to decide which framework is best suited for their situation, and no matter which is used, it’s important to listen to your “product gut” to guide your final decision.