Prioritization

Prioritization

Decide what to build and in what order.

What This Skill Does

Prioritizes features, initiatives, and backlog items using proven frameworks like RICE, MoSCoW, and Kano. Applies structured decision-making to balance conflicting priorities and allocate resources effectively.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• User needs to prioritize or rank items
• Phrases like "prioritize this", "what should we build first", "rank these"
• Managing backlog or deciding between features
• Allocating limited resources across competing initiatives
• User says "how do we decide" or "priority ranking"

How It Works

The prioritization process ensures systematic, defensible decisions:

1. Collect items - Gather all features/initiatives to prioritize
2. Choose framework - Select appropriate prioritization method
3. Gather data - Collect estimates for reach, impact, effort
4. Calculate scores - Apply the prioritization formula
5. Review and adjust - Consider strategic factors, dependencies
6. Generate ranking - Produce prioritized list with rationale

Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | items | list | Yes | Items to prioritize (features, initiatives) | | framework | string | No | rice (default), moscow, kano, value-effort | | constraints | object | No | Resource constraints (e.g., `{"capacity": 20, "timeframe": "Q2"}) |

Prioritization Frameworks

RICE (Recommended)

RICE = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort

- Reach: How many users affected (0-100+)
- Impact: Impact per user (0.25 = Tiny, 0.5 = Small, 1 = Medium, 2 = Large, 3 = Massive)
- Confidence: How confident in estimates (0-100%)
- Effort: Person-months of work

Example: (1000 users × 2 impact × 80% confidence) / 2 months = 800

MoSCoW

| Category | Definition | % of Items | |:---------|:-----------|:-----------| | Must Have | Critical for success | 20-30% | | Should Have | Important but not critical | 30-40% | | Could Have | Nice to have if time permits | 20-30% | | Won't Have | Explicitly out of scope | 10-20% |

Value-Effort Matrix

Quadrants based on Value (High/Low) and Effort (High/Low):

High Value, Low Effort  → QUICK WINS (Do first)
High Value, High Effort → MAJOR PROJECTS (Plan carefully)
Low Value, Low Effort  → FILL-INS (Do when convenient)
Low Value, High Effort → THANKLESS TASKS (Avoid or eliminate)

Kano Model

| Category | Description | Priority | |:---------|:-----------|:---------| | Must-be | Basic expectations, taken for granted | Baseline | | Performance | More is better | Competitive | | Attractive | Delighters, unexpected bonuses | Differentiators |

Output Structure

The skill generates prioritization outputs:

1. Prioritized list (docs/product/.ompm/prioritization.json) - Ranked items with scores
2. Summary report - Explanation of rankings and recommendations

Prioritization Format

{
  "prioritization": {
    "framework": "RICE",
    "timestamp": "2026-03-12T...",
    "constraints": {
      "capacity": 50,
      "timeframe": "Q2 2026"
    },
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "FEAT-001",
        "name": "User onboarding flow",
        "rice_score": 85,
        "reach": 1000,
        "impact": 2,
        "confidence": 0.85,
        "effort": 2,
        "rank": 1,
        "category": "Must Have",
        "rationale": "High reach, high impact, moderate effort"
      },
      {
        "id": "FEAT-002",
        "name": "Dark mode",
        "rice_score": 45,
        "reach": 500,
        "impact": 1,
        "confidence": 0.9,
        "effort": 1,
        "rank": 2,
        "category": "Should Have",
        "rationale": "Moderate reach, medium impact, low effort"
      }
    ],
    "summary": {
      "total_items": 15,
      "must_have": 3,
      "should_have": 5,
      "could_have": 4,
      "wont_have": 3
    }
  }
}

Summary Report Format

# Prioritization Summary

## Framework Used
RICE scoring with capacity constraint of 50 points for Q2 2026

## Top Priorities

### 1. User Onboarding Flow (RICE: 85)
**Category**: Must Have
**Effort**: 2 person-months

**Rationale**: Affects all new users (1000/month), high impact on activation,
confident in estimates, moderate effort.

**Dependencies**: None
**Risk**: Low

---

### 2. Dark Mode (RICE: 45)
**Category**: Should Have
**Effort**: 1 person-month

**Rationale**: Highly requested feature, moderate reach, low effort quick win.

**Dependencies**: Design system update
**Risk**: Low

---

## Category Breakdown
| Category | Count | % of Total |
|:---------|------:|:-----------|
| Must Have | 3 | 20% |
| Should Have | 5 | 33% |
| Could Have | 4 | 27% |
| Won't Have | 3 | 20% |

## Capacity Analysis
- **Total capacity**: 50 points
- **Must Have items**: 30 points (60%)
- **Should Have items**: 15 points (30%)
- **Remaining**: 5 points (10%) for Could Have or buffer

## Recommendations

1. **Quick Wins**: Start with dark mode (low effort, high demand)
2. **Core Value**: Then tackle onboarding flow (high impact)
3. **Strategic**: Plan major projects for next quarter

## Considerations

- **Strategic alignment**: All top items support growth goal
- **Technical dependencies**: Onboarding depends on auth system v2
- **Market timing**: Competitors launching similar features in Q2

Quality Standards

Before delivering, the prioritization should:

• Use consistent scoring methodology
• Provide clear rationale for rankings
• Consider strategic factors beyond the formula
• Identify dependencies and risks
• Be defensible and explainable to stakeholders
• Leave room for unexpected opportunities

Context Integration

Reads:

• docs/product/.ompm/user-research.json - User needs for impact assessment
• docs/product/.ompm/feedback-synthesis.json - User feedback for validation
• docs/product/.ompm/market-analysis.json - Market trends for strategic alignment

Writes:

• docs/product/.ompm/prioritization.json - Prioritized item list

Read By:

• roadmap-planning - Uses prioritization for roadmap sequencing
• prd-gen - References priority for feature scope
• iteration-planning - Uses rankings for sprint planning

Example Usage

User: "Prioritize our backlog"
→ Applies RICE to all backlog items

User: "What should we build first with our limited budget?"
→ Prioritizes with value-effort matrix

User: "Rank these features by impact"
→ Uses impact-focused prioritization

Best Practices

1. Don't prioritize in isolation - Consider strategic context
2. Quantify when possible - Use real data, not guesses
3. Revisit regularly - Priorities change as you learn
4. Explain the why - Rationale matters more than the score
5. Leave capacity buffer - Don't plan 100% utilization

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: kelegele
• Source: kelegele/oh-my-pm
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.