# prioritize features
## Metadata

- Canonical URL: https://6ducklearn.com/skills/prioritize-features/
- Markdown URL: https://6ducklearn.com/skills/prioritize-features/index.md
- Product: skills
- Category: product-management
- Tags: pm-product-discovery, product-management, pm-skills
- Updated: 2026-07-14T03:00:00.357428+00:00
## Summary
Prioritize a backlog of feature ideas based on impact, effort, risk, and strategic alignment with top 5 recommendations. Use when prioritizing a feature backlog, making scope decisions, or ranking product ideas.
## Content
## Prioritize Feature Backlog

Evaluate and rank a backlog of feature ideas to identify the top 5 to pursue.

### Context

You are helping prioritize features for **$ARGUMENTS**.

If the user provides files (spreadsheets, backlogs, opportunity assessments), read and analyze them directly.

### Domain Context

For framework selection guidance, see the `prioritization-frameworks` skill. Key recommendations:

**Opportunity Score** (Dan Olsen, *The Lean Product Playbook*) is recommended for evaluating customer problems: Opportunity Score = Importance × (1 − Satisfaction), normalized to 0–1. High Importance + low Satisfaction = best opportunities. Prioritize **problems (opportunities)**, not solutions.

**ICE** is recommended for quick scoring of initiatives: Impact (Opportunity Score × # Customers) × Confidence × Ease. **RICE** adds Reach as a separate factor for larger teams.

### Instructions

The user will describe their product objective, desired outcomes, and provide feature ideas. Work through these steps:

1. **Understand priorities**: Confirm the product objective and success metrics.

2. **Evaluate each feature** against:
   - **Impact**: How much does it move the needle on desired outcomes? Consider Opportunity Score if customer data is available.
   - **Effort**: How much development, design, and coordination is required?
   - **Risk**: How much uncertainty exists? What assumptions need testing?
   - **Strategic alignment**: How well does it fit the product vision and current goals?

3. **Recommend the top 5 features** with:
   - Clear ranking (1-5)
   - Brief rationale for each selection
   - Key trade-offs considered
   - What was deprioritized and why

4. **Present as a prioritization table** if helpful.

Think step by step. Save as markdown if the output is substantial.

---

### Further Reading

- [Kano Model: How to Delight Your Customers Without Becoming a Feature Factory](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/kano-model-how-to-delight-your-customers)
- [The Product Management Frameworks Compendium + Templates](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/the-product-frameworks-compendium)
- [Continuous Product Discovery Masterclass (CPDM)](https://www.productcompass.pm/p/cpdm) (video course)

## Related Skills

- [interview script](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/interview-script/index.md): Create a structured customer interview script with JTBD probing questions, warm-up, core exploration, and wrap-up sections. Follows The Mom Test principles — no leading questions, no pitching, focus on past behavior. Use when preparing for user interviews, creating interview guides, or planning discovery research.
- [analyze feature requests](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/analyze-feature-requests/index.md): Analyze and prioritize a list of feature requests by theme, strategic alignment, impact, effort, and risk. Use when reviewing customer feature requests, triaging a backlog, or making prioritization decisions.
- [brainstorm experiments existing](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/brainstorm-experiments-existing/index.md): Design experiments to test assumptions for an existing product — prototypes, A/B tests, spikes, and other low-effort validation methods. Use when validating assumptions, testing feature ideas cheaply, or planning product experiments.
- [brainstorm experiments new](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/brainstorm-experiments-new/index.md): Design lean startup experiments (pretotypes) for a new product. Creates XYZ hypotheses and suggests low-effort validation methods like landing pages, explainer videos, and pre-orders. Use when validating a new product idea, creating pretotypes, or testing market demand.
- [brainstorm ideas existing](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/brainstorm-ideas-existing/index.md): Brainstorm product ideas for an existing product using multi-perspective ideation from PM, Designer, and Engineer viewpoints. Use when generating new feature ideas, brainstorming solutions for an identified opportunity, or ideating with a product trio.
- [brainstorm ideas new](https://6ducklearn.com/skills/brainstorm-ideas-new/index.md): Brainstorm feature ideas for a new product in initial discovery from PM, Designer, and Engineer perspectives. Use when starting product discovery for a new product, exploring features for a startup idea, or doing initial ideation.