Within the bustling coronary heart of tech, the place new concepts sprout quicker than we are able to are likely to them, Intercom—a messaging software program firm—discovered itself at a crossroads. Sean McBride, a product supervisor at Intercom, alongside together with his group, rifled by way of a buffet of prioritization fashions, looking for the one that may greatest serve their distinctive challenges. And whereas these pre-existing fashions provided insights, none actually resonated with the exact wants of Intercom’s ever-expanding universe of undertaking concepts.
So, what does an organization do when it’s caught between a rock and a tough place? It innovates.
McBride and his group weren’t about to let present fashions maintain them again. They rolled up their sleeves and carved out their very own….
Enter the RICE prioritization mannequin—a contemporary, pragmatic method that melds 4 clear-cut elements: attain, impression, confidence, and energy.
By devising a formulation that churned these parts collectively, the group birthed a software that spat out a transparent, concise rating for any undertaking concept thrown its manner. No extra second-guessing. No extra “what if?” Only a straight-up, goal system to information their product roadmap. And guess what? This wasn’t only a makeshift software—it dramatically refined Intercom’s decision-making prowess.
Stripped right down to its core, RICE is a beacon for product managers navigating the foggy waters of product roadmaps. It’s a simple framework, but profound in its utility, serving to groups pinpoint which tasks deserve the limelight based mostly on 4 pivotal standards. For those who’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the tidal wave of duties demanding your consideration, RICE may simply be your lifesaver.
Now, let’s uncover the guts of the RICE mannequin and learn the way you can also wield it in your enviornment.
The 4 Elements of the RICE Prioritization Mannequin
RICE stands as a compass, directing you thru the storm of choices with its 4 cardinal factors:
Attain
Right here’s the place we step again from our private inclinations, placing ourselves within the footwear of the customers.
Attain asks a crucial query: how many individuals will this undertaking resonate with over an outlined interval? For instance, for my group at LifeHack, this may translate to “what number of members will this undertaking impression over a single quarter?”.
The important thing? Concrete numbers. No magic, no guessing—attain is framed by way of folks or occasions per time interval, be it “prospects per quarter” or “gross sales monthly”. It requires data-driven proof, not hopeful conjectures pulled from the ether.
Impression
Impression is the muscle of the undertaking, the pressure it exerts on particular person customers. Will it nudge the needle, and in that case, how far?
For one group, it may be quantified as “how a lot will this undertaking enhance the conversion fee when a person subscribes to it?”
Actual measurement might be elusive, so Intercom units a scale
- 3 for “huge impression”
- 2 for “excessive”
- 1 for “medium”
It’s a system that, whereas not excellent, avoids leaving us stranded within the swamp of subjective guesswork.
Confidence
Amid the flicker of formidable concepts, confidence acts as the truth test. It begs the query: how sure are you, actually, about these estimates? This issue is the reins that sluggish you down while you’re charging forward with little greater than excessive hopes.
Confidence is expressed as a share. Easy selections preserve the method nimble and keep away from determination quagmire:
- 100% for “excessive confidence”
- 80% for “medium”
- 50% for “low”
It’s a second for candid reflection: how stable is the bottom you’re constructing on?
Effort
Effort is the useful resource toll: the time and power that you just and your group might want to pour into this undertaking. It’s counted in “person-months”, a tough estimate of the work one group member can do in a month.
Right here, entire numbers (or 0.5 for lighter masses) suffice. In RICE, extra effort doesn’t earn a gold star—it truly dilutes the rating, reminding you that pace and agility are virtues.
In a world the place ‘extra’ is commonly seen as ‘higher’, RICE flips the script. It’s the quiet however steadfast information that whispers,
“Select properly. Make it rely.”
How you can Use the RICE Mannequin (Step-by-Step Information)
The RICE mannequin isn’t a fancy riddle—it’s a compass, designed to steer you successfully by way of the waves of tasks and options..
1. Map Out the Terrain
First, jot down an inventory of the potential new product options ready to be prioritized. This isn’t restricted to the brand new and glossy; it contains the stalwarts of your backlog too.
2. Assign the Scores
Estimate:
- Attain. For every enterprise in your record, gauge what number of customers will really feel its presence. A selected timeframe can preserve this tidy—like customers monthly. If income sings to you, MRR is a worthy quantity to serenade.
- Impression. Foresee the ripples every undertaking may make on person satisfaction or income. Your scale may learn ‘minimal’ on the low finish and crescendo to ‘huge’. Tune this scale to the melodies of your buyer suggestions.
- Effort. Sum up the hours or months your group wants to take a position throughout all fronts—improvement, design, testing.
- Confidence. Measuring the energy of your convictions, are these estimates rock stable (100%) or extra akin to throwing darts at midnight (<50%)?
3. Crunch These Numbers
Along with your scores set, apply the formulation for every undertaking or characteristic:
RICE Rating = (Attain * Impression * Confidence) / Effort
That can assist you do the maths, I’ve crafted a Notion Template through which you solely have to plug in these estimates.
4. Prepare the Tasks
Prepare the tasks or options by their RICE scores, highest first. Usually, these excessive flyers are the treasures you’re searching—they get constructed first.
5. Huddle with Your Crew
Lay the scores and your proposed route on the desk in your group and stakeholders to see. Right here’s the place the controversy heats up, the place you untangle discrepancies, sort out considerations, or unearth new insights that would sway the journey.
6. Tweak and Revise
Constantly revisit and retune your RICE scores as contemporary intel rolls in or as your organization’s flag is hoisted in new instructions. This ensures your group’s power sails in concord together with your ever-evolving targets and that your treasure—time—is spent properly.
Case Examine
Our group had a slew of potential tasks, starting from redesigning our web site to growing a brand new course and launching an electronic mail publication collection. With restricted sources, we wanted a rational technique to resolve what to sort out first. So we used the RICE mannequin to assist us prioritize:
1. Figuring out Tasks
Our choices: web site redesign, new on-line course improvement, and electronic mail publication collection launch.
2. Defining the Elements
We tailored Attain, Impression, Confidence, and Effort to LifeHack’s targets—specifically, rising person engagement and course enrollments.
3. Scoring Every Issue
For the web site redesign:
- Attain: excessive—impacting 95% of our customers
- Impression: excessive (3x), anticipating improved person expertise and course sign-ups
- Confidence: 85% Assured in these estimates
- Effort: pegged at 2 person-months.
For the brand new on-line course:
- Attain: 60% of our present person base, as per earlier course enrollment charges
- Impression: excessive (3x), anticipating it to spice up LifeHack’s status and income
- Confidence: 80%
- Effort: 3 person-months.
For the e-mail publication collection:
- Attain: 70% of our subscribers
- Impression: excessive (3x), believing it might foster person loyalty and encourage course sign-ups
- Confidence: 90% Assured in these estimates
- Effort: 2 person-months.
4. Calculating RICE Scores
After the maths, the web site redesign had the very best RICE rating, suggesting it was probably the most environment friendly technique to obtain impactful outcomes.
So our undertaking rankings are:
- Web site Redesign
- E mail Publication Collection
- New On-line Course Growth
5. Verify with the Group and Modify When Needed
I shared these rankings with our group and stakeholders. We had a dialogue, with some surprising insights from our buyer help group, who famous frequent person requests for a brand new course.
Given this new suggestions, we determined to re-evaluate the Attain and Confidence elements for the brand new on-line course, which moved it to the second of our precedence record.
Backside Line
The RICE mannequin is your compass, turning countless choices into a transparent path. It offers a scientific method, serving to you reply the pivotal query, ‘what comes subsequent?’ with information, not simply intestine feeling. It’s about aligning your group’s efforts with impactful tasks, justified by clear, quantifiable standards.
As your targets evolve, RICE adapts. It encourages common re-evaluation, guaranteeing your group’s focus stays sharp and related.
With RICE in hand, you may set sail purposefully in the direction of significant impression.