Roadmap & Prioritization Skill

Master the art of saying "no". Create focused roadmaps that align your organization, drive strategic outcomes, and maximize impact with limited resources.

RICE Scoring System (Complete)

Formula

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

Reach: How many users affected? (1-100+)
- 10+ = 10
- 100+ = 100
- 1000+ = 1000

Impact: Per-user impact (3, 2, 1, 0.5)
- 3 = Massive (10x improvement)
- 2 = High (significant improvement)
- 1 = Medium (noticeable improvement)
- 0.5 = Low (minor improvement)

Confidence: How confident? (0.25-1.0)
- 1.0 = High (research backed)
- 0.8 = Medium (some validation)
- 0.5 = Low (minimal validation)
- 0.25 = Very low (assumption)

Effort: Engineer-weeks needed (1-20+)

Scoring Example Matrix

Feature          Reach Impact Confidence Effort RICE Score
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
User Onboarding   50    3      0.8      8      (50×3×0.8)/8 = 15.0
Dark Mode         200   1      0.9      4      (200×1×0.9)/4 = 45.0
API Limits        500   2      0.7      10     (500×2×0.7)/10 = 70.0
Performance Fix   1000  0.5    1.0      5      (1000×0.5×1)/5 = 100.0
Custom Fields     30    3      0.6      12     (30×3×0.6)/12 = 4.5

PRIORITIZE: Performance > API Limits > Dark Mode > Onboarding > Custom Fields

RICE Confidence Levels

High (1.0) - Research-backed

• Customer interviews conducted
• Data from analytics
• Customer support tickets confirming
• Clear customer demand

Medium (0.8) - Some validation

• Logical assumption
• One or two customers requesting
• Industry trends suggest it
• Similar features successful elsewhere

Low (0.5) - Minimal validation

• Educated guess
• Competitive pressure (they have it)
• Opportunity emerged
• Needs deeper validation

Very Low (0.25) - Pure assumption

• "Seems like good idea"
• No customer feedback
• No validation whatsoever
• High risk of waste

Alternative Prioritization Methods

Value vs Effort Matrix

           Low Effort      High Effort
High Value  QUICK WINS      STRATEGIC
           (Do first)      (Plan carefully)

Low Value   FILL-INS        AVOID
           (If time)       (Skip)

Quick Wins: High value, low effort

• Implement first for momentum
• Build confidence
• Show stakeholders progress
• Examples: Bug fixes, small features

Strategic: High value, high effort

• Long-term competitive advantage
• Requires planning and resources
• Examples: New platform, architecture

Fill-Ins: Low value, low effort

• Polish features
• Technical debt
• Do when capacity available

Avoid: Low value, high effort

• Waste of resources
• Say "no" clearly

MoSCoW Method (Simpler)

Must Have (Non-negotiable for launch)

• Core functionality
• Without these: launch doesn't happen
• Usually 40% of work

Should Have (Important but deferrable)

• Significant value
• Could launch without but less attractive
• Usually 30% of work

Could Have (Nice to have)

• Polish, nice features
• Do if budget/time allows
• Usually 20% of work

Won't Have (Explicitly out of scope)

• Clearly deferred
• Helps stakeholders understand priorities
• Usually 10% of work

Kano Model (Customer Satisfaction)

Three feature categories:

Basic Factors (Threshold)

• Expected to be present
• Absence = very dissatisfied
• Presence = satisfied (not delighted)
• Example: Core app functionality
• No competitive advantage

Performance Factors (Linear)

• More = more satisfaction
• Less = less satisfaction
• Competitive advantage
• Examples: Speed, customization options
• Scales continuously

Delighters (Excitement)

• Unexpected features
• Presence = delighted
• Absence = neutral
• High competitive advantage
• Examples: Surprising UX, hidden features

Strategy: Must haves first, then performance, then delighters for differentiation

Roadmap Planning Process

12-Month Strategic Roadmap

Structure:

Q1 2025: Initiative Theme
├─ Goal: Business outcome
├─ Key Features: 2-3 major features
├─ Success Metrics: How you measure
└─ Resource: Team size needed

Q2 2025: Initiative Theme
Q3 2025: Initiative Theme
Q4 2025: Initiative Theme

Quarterly Planning Process

Timeline: Plan month before quarter starts

Week 1: Data Gathering

• Customer feedback from last quarter
• Support tickets and issues
• Competitive landscape changes
• Team retrospective learnings
• Metrics review vs targets

Week 2: Prioritization

• Apply RICE scoring
• Consider strategic goals
• Assess resource availability
• Get engineering estimates
• Map dependencies

Week 3: Planning

• Break stories into sprints
• Allocate resources
• Identify risks
• Plan communication

Week 4: Alignment & Launch

• Present roadmap to stakeholders
• Engineering team commitment
• Executive buy-in
• All hands announcement

Sprint Planning (Weekly)

Monday: Planning

• Pick features for sprint
• Break into user stories
• Estimate effort
• Assign owners
• Identify blockers

Daily: Standups

• What did you do?
• What's blocking you?
• What's next?
• 15 minutes max

Friday: Retrospective

• What went well?
• What needs improvement?
• Velocity tracking
• Plan adjustments for next sprint

Resource Allocation

Team Capacity Planning

Team Size: 5 engineers
Sprint Length: 2 weeks
Typical Capacity: 40-50 story points

Planning Reality:
- 50% unplanned work (bugs, interrupts)
- 20% operational tasks
- 30% feature development

Result: 50 points × 30% = 15 points for features
→ Add MUST have items first
→ Fill remaining capacity with SHOULD/COULD

Resource Distribution

Engineering Team:

• 60-70% new features (roadmap)
• 20-30% bug fixes & optimization
• 10-15% technical debt
• 5-10% operations/support

Product Manager:

• 60% planning and discovery
• 20% communication and alignment
• 10% analysis and metrics
• 10% team leadership

Design Team:

• 70% feature design
• 15% design system maintenance
• 15% research and testing

Dependencies & Sequencing

Dependency Types

Hard Dependency

• Feature B can't start until Feature A done
• Example: Payment system before subscription plans
• Impacts timeline significantly

Soft Dependency

• Feature B better if Feature A done first
• Example: Mobile app after web fully tested
• Flexible on timing

Cross-Team Dependency

• Requires other team completion
• Longest lead time
• Must surface early

Risk Management

Common Risks:

1. Scope Creep

   • Mitigation: Say "no" often, defer to future
   • Owner: Product Manager
   • Plan: Weekly scope review

2. Key Person Leaves

   • Mitigation: Cross-training, documentation
   • Owner: Engineering Manager
   • Plan: Onboarding process

3. Timeline Pressure

   • Mitigation: Plan with buffer, manage expectations
   • Owner: Product Manager
   • Plan: Transparent communication

4. Technical Challenges Emerge

   • Mitigation: Spike time, proof of concepts
   • Owner: Engineering Lead
   • Plan: 20% contingency in estimates

Roadmap Communication

For Executives

• Focus on business outcomes
• Show how each quarter builds toward vision
• Highlight competitive differentiation
• Revenue/growth impact

For Engineering

• Detailed specs and requirements
• Technical complexity and dependencies
• Effort estimates and risks
• Resource needs

For Customers

• User-focused benefits
• Timeline (quarter, not date)
• Most-requested features highlighted
• Under-promise, over-deliver

For Sales

• "Coming soon" messaging
• What they can sell against
• Customer feedback incorporated
• Competitive differentiation

Roadmap Review & Adjustment

Weekly: Sprint progress Monthly: Quarterly progress vs plan Quarterly: Full roadmap refresh Annually: Strategic direction review

Triggers for Reprioritization:

• Major customer churn
• Competitive threat
• Market shift
• Unexpected technical blocker
• Resource availability change

Troubleshooting

Yaygın Hatalar & Çözümler

Hata	Olası Sebep	Çözüm
Roadmap sürekli kayıyor	Unrealistic estimates	30% buffer ekle
Priority debates	Unclear criteria	RICE workshop
Resource contention	Over-commitment	Capacity planning
Dependencies blocking	Late identification	Sprint 0 mapping

Debug Checklist

[ ] RICE scoring consistent mi?
[ ] Capacity realistic mi? (20% buffer)
[ ] Dependencies mapped mi?
[ ] Stakeholder alignment var mı?
[ ] Risk mitigation planı var mı?

Recovery Procedures

1. Roadmap Slip → Re-prioritize, cut scope
2. Resource Conflict → Trade-off matrix
3. Priority Disagreement → Data-driven RICE

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Master prioritization and create roadmaps that drive real outcomes!