Feature prioritization template

Create data-driven decisions about which product features to build first and where to invest your development resources.

What is this feature prioritization?

Feature prioritization is the process of evaluating and ranking potential product features based on specific criteria rather than personal preferences or the loudest voice in the room. It helps teams decide which features to build first, which to schedule for later, and which to put on hold or eliminate.

Good prioritization balances user needs, business goals, and technical constraints. It transforms a long list of "could-do" ideas into a focused set of "should-do" projects that create the most value with available resources. Feature prioritization happens throughout the product development cycle, from initial concept through maturity, helping teams make consistent decisions about where to invest their limited time and resources.

What is this feature prioritization template?

This feature prioritization template helps product teams evaluate and rank features using proven prioritization frameworks. It includes multiple scoring methods that suit different product stages and team needs. Whether you're building a new product, enhancing an existing one, or deciding between competing initiatives, this template provides a systematic approach to making these decisions.

The feature prioritization template includes evaluation criteria, scoring systems, and visualization tools that make your prioritization process transparent and defendable. These frameworks help you move beyond gut feelings to make decisions based on factors like business value, user impact, effort required, strategic alignment, and market opportunity.

Why use this template?

Most product teams struggle with feature decisions. Without a clear system, prioritization becomes subject to:

• The highest-paid person's opinion
• Recency bias toward the latest customer request
• Sales-driven promises without consideration of effort
• Scattered development that fails to create cohesive value

This template creates a structured process that:

1. Establishes clear evaluation criteria – Compare features based on specific factors rather than general feelings

2. Creates objective scoring methods – Rate each feature against consistent measures important to your business

3. Documents decision rationale – Preserve the reasoning behind prioritization choices

4. Visualizes trade-offs – See the relationship between value and effort to make better investments

5. Aligns stakeholders – Build consensus around priorities with transparent evaluation methods

How to use this template

Step 1: Gather feature candidates: Collect all potential features from customer feedback, team ideas, market research, and stakeholder requests. Document each feature with a clear description and source.

Step 2: Select your evaluation criteria: Choose the factors most important to your product's success. Common criteria include user value, business value, implementation effort, market differentiation, and strategic alignment. Adapt these based on your specific goals.

Step 3: Score each feature: Rate every feature candidate against your chosen criteria using the provided scoring systems. Be consistent in how you apply ratings across features to ensure fair comparison.

Step 4: Calculate priority scores: Use the framework formulas to determine overall priority scores based on your ratings. Different frameworks weight factors differently, so choose the approach that best matches your current needs.

Step 5: Map and visualize priorities: Plot features on the provided matrices to visualize relationships between factors like value and effort. These visual tools help communicate priorities and trade-offs to stakeholders. The feature prioritization template includes ready-to-use 2x2 matrices, quadrant diagrams, and bubble charts to clearly display your prioritization results.

Step 6: Finalize and communicate decisions: Document your prioritized feature list, including the reasoning behind rankings. Share with stakeholders using the provided templates to build understanding and alignment.

Key prioritization frameworks included

1. Value vs. effort matrix: The simplest prioritization approach that balances potential value against implementation difficulty. This framework helps identify quick wins (high value, low effort) and resource drains (low value, high effort). Ideal for teams seeking a straightforward way to eliminate obvious low-priority items and find the best investments.

2. RICE scoring: A systematic framework that evaluates features based on Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. This method works well for data-informed teams who need to prioritize features for established products and can estimate user reach and potential impact with some accuracy.

3. Kano model: A prioritization approach that categorizes features based on their potential to satisfy or dissatisfy users. This framework helps distinguish between must-have features, performance features, and delight features. Particularly useful for new products or major upgrades where user satisfaction is the primary concern.

4. MoSCoW method: A straightforward categorization system that divides features into Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won't-haves. This approach works well for time-bound projects with fixed deadlines and helps teams determine the minimum viable feature set.

5. Opportunity scoring: A method that evaluates features based on their importance to users and current satisfaction levels. This framework helps identify underserved needs where important capabilities aren't well-addressed in the current solution or competitive landscape.

‍