Feature Prioritization Framework

Prioritize product work based on impact, effort, and strategy.

Choose Your Prioritization Method

Select the framework that best fits your current needs.

Method	Best For
MoSCoW Method	Clear, stakeholder-friendly categorization of requirements.
Kano Model	Understanding user satisfaction and feature delighters.
RICE Scoring	Data-driven, quantitative comparison of features.
Feasibility, Desirability, Viability	Holistic alignment across technical, user, and business needs.
Value/Effort Scale	Quick, intuitive visual prioritization based on impact vs. cost.

MoSCoW Method

Definition

A method for categorizing requirements into four buckets:

Must have: Non-negotiable for launch.
Should have: High-priority, but the product won't fail without them.
Could have: Nice-to-haves if resources allow.
Won't have: Explicitly not in the current scope.

Prioritization Guidelines

Define your core business values.
Identify potential risks.
Edit the priority categories to fit your project's context.

Example: Book Review Website

Must have	Should have	Could have	Won't have
Create account function	Mobile compatibility	Automatically remember old help sessions	Reading speed tracker
Login function	Fast page load time	Nav bar freeze on scroll	In-depth sub-genre evaluation
Leave text review	Ask for help feature	"More books like this" feature	Chat with other users
Giving review stars	Personal library of old reviews	Book search function / Personal timeline of books read / Fix redirect bug	Follow other users function

Your MoSCoW Board

Feature	Priority (M/S/C/W)	Notes

Kano Model

Definition

A theory for understanding customer preferences and satisfaction, categorizing features into five types:

Basic: Expected features. Their absence causes dissatisfaction.
Performance: The more, the better.
Delighters: Unexpected features that create high satisfaction.
Indifferent: Features that users don't care about.
Reverse: Features that cause dissatisfaction when present.

Delighters often become Basic features over time as user expectations evolve.

Prioritization Guidelines

Classify your features into Delighters, Performance, Basic, and Indifferent.
Build Basic first, then Performance, and finally Delighters.
Deprioritize or eliminate Indifferent features.

Example: Book Review Website

Delighters	Performance	Basic	Indifferent
Creative book tagging	Fix redirect bug	Improve signup questionnaire	Chat with other users
"For you" list	Mobile compatibility	Improve login function	Nav bar freeze on scroll
"On my shelf" - To be read	Fast page load time	Leave text review function	"More books like this" feature
Ask for help feature	Giving review stars	Follow other users function / Book search function	Reading speed tracker / Personal library of old reviews

Your Feature Classification

Feature	Classification (Basic/Performance/Delighter/Indifferent)

RICE Scoring

Definition

A quantitative method for scoring features based on four factors:

Reach: How many people this impacts per time period.
Impact: Effect on each user (3=Massive, 2=High, 1=Medium, 0.5=Low, 0.25=Minimal).
Confidence: Confidence in estimates (100% high, 80% medium, 50% low).
Effort: Work required (person-months or story points).

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

Example: Book Review Website

Feature	Reach/week	Impact	Confidence	Effort	RICE Score
Login function	5000	3	75%	4	2812.5
Search feature	4500	3	90%	5	2430.0
Review feature	2000	2	90%	3	1200.0
Sign up function	300	3	90%	3	270.0
"More books like this" feature	3000	1	60%	8	225.0
Ask for help feature	500	1	50%	7	35.7
Chat with other users	100	0.5	30%	6	2.5

Your RICE Scoring Table

Feature	Reach	Impact	Confidence	Effort	RICE Score

Feasibility, Desirability, Viability

Definition

A balanced framework that evaluates features from three key perspectives:

Feasibility: How technically possible it is.
Desirability: Whether users want it.
Viability: Whether it aligns with business strategy.

Prioritization Guidelines

Score each feature from 1-10 in each dimension.
Sum scores and prioritize the highest totals.

Example: Book Review Website (Beta Launch)

Feature	Feasibility (/10)	Desirability (/10)	Viability (/10)	Total
Sign up function	10	10	10	30
Login function	10	10	10	30
Search feature	8	10	10	28
Review feature	7	9	10	26
"More books like this" feature	6	8	8	22
Ask for help feature	8	7	6	21
Chat with other users	6	4	7	17

Your FDV Scoring Table

Feature	Feasibility	Desirability	Viability	Total

Value/Effort Scale

Definition

A simple 2x2 matrix to map features based on effort to build versus business value delivered.

Prioritization Guidelines

Rate each feature's effort and business value.
Plot on the 2x2 grid.
Build First: High Value, Low Effort.
Consider Next: High Value, High Effort.
Deprioritize: Low Value, Low Effort.
Avoid: Low Value, High Effort.

Example: Book Review Website (Beta Launch)

Feature	Effort to build (/10)	Business value (/10)
Login function	3	10
Sign up function	3	10
Search feature	5	10
Ask for help feature	4	6
Chat with other users	5	7
Review feature	8	10
"More books like this" feature	8	9