prioritization-frameworks Checked

Reference guide to 9 prioritization frameworks with formulas, when-to-use guidance, and templates — RICE, ICE, Kano, MoSCoW, Opportunity Score, and more. Use when selecting a prioritization method, comparing frameworks like RICE vs ICE, or learning how different prioritization approaches work.

Reference guide to 9 prioritization frameworks with formulas, when-to-use guidance, and templates — RICE, ICE, Kano, MoSCoW, Opportunity Score, and more. Use when selecting a prioritization method, comparing frameworks like RICE vs ICE, or learning how different prioritization approaches work.

Prioritization Frameworks Reference

A reference guide to help you select and apply the right prioritization framework for your context.

### Core Principle

Never allow customers to design solutions. Prioritize **problems (opportunities)**, not features.

### Opportunity Score (Dan Olsen, *The Lean Product Playbook*)

The recommended framework for prioritizing customer problems.

Survey customers on **Importance** and **Satisfaction** for each need (normalize to 0–1 scale).

Three related formulas:

• **Current value** = Importance × Satisfaction
• **Opportunity Score** = Importance × (1 − Satisfaction)
• **Customer value created** = Importance × (S2 − S1), where S1 = satisfaction before, S2 = satisfaction after

High Importance + low Satisfaction = highest Opportunity Score = best opportunities. Plot on an Importance vs Satisfaction chart — upper-left quadrant is the sweet spot. Prioritizes customer problems, not solutions.

### ICE Framework

Useful for prioritizing initiatives and ideas. Considers not only value but also risk and economic factors.

• **I** (Impact) = Opportunity Score × Number of Customers affected
• **C** (Confidence) = How confident are we? (1-10). Accounts for risk.
• **E** (Ease) = How easy is it to implement? (1-10). Accounts for economic factors.

**Score** = I × C × E. Higher = prioritize first.

### RICE Framework

Splits ICE's Impact into two separate factors. Useful for larger teams that need more granularity.

• **R** (Reach) = Number of customers affected
• **I** (Impact) = Opportunity Score (value per customer)
• **C** (Confidence) = How confident are we? (0-100%)
• **E** (Effort) = How much effort to implement? (person-months)

**Score** = (R × I × C) / E

### 9 Frameworks Overview