RICE Backlog Ranker
Rank a whole backlog with calibrated RICE scales, a sensitivity check on fragile ranks, and a cut line matched to real capacity.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
Prioritization can be tricky since there are many factors to consider. You'll want to think about reach—how many users it affects. Then impact—what's the magnitude of benefit. Confidence in the estimate matters too. And of course, the effort required. Different teams weight these differently, so it really depends on your goals and constraints. I'd suggest listing all your initiatives and then evaluating each one across these dimensions. Would you like me to walk through some examples? The specific weighting depends on what matters most to your business right now.
RICE PRIORITIZATION ANALYSIS INITIATIVES SCORED Feature: Real-time collaboration editor Reach: 4,200 users (40% of paid tier) Impact: Reduce task time by 2 hours/week per user Confidence: 75% (partial customer validation) Effort: 8 weeks (3 engineers) RICE score: (4200 × 2 × 0.75) / 8 = 787.5 Rank: 1 Feature: Mobile app for iOS Reach: 8,500 users (80% active on mobile) Impact: 1x (new revenue stream, unproven) Confidence: 50% (market research only) Effort: 16 weeks RICE score: (8500 × 1 × 0.50) / 16 = 265.6 Rank: 3 Feature: API rate limit increase Reach: 80 users (enterprise tier only) Impact: Enable 3 new customer use cases Confidence: 95% (committed prospects) Effort: 2 weeks RICE score: (80 × 3 × 0.95) / 2 = 114 Rank: 5 FEATURE: Dashboard performance optimization Reach: 12,000 users (all active) Impact: 3x (page load time 8s to 2s) Confidence: 90% (metrics confirmed) Effort: 4 weeks RICE score: (12000 × 3 × 0.90) / 4 = 8,100 Rank: 1 (TIE - parallel track possible) Priority Queue (Q3 roadmap order): Dashboard perf → Collaboration → API limits → Mobile strategy
About this skill
Most RICE spreadsheets mix reach windows, give everything 80% confidence, and treat small score gaps as real priorities. This skill ranks a full backlog so the order survives a planning meeting.
What it does
- Enforces one reach window, one impact metric with defined scale, evidence-based confidence, and full-team effort
- Carves out mandatory work (legal, security, contractual) before scoring
- Runs a sensitivity check to show which ranks flip if one input moves one notch
- Treats near-ties as ties and makes strategy overrides explicit
- Draws a cut line against actual team capacity
What you get
A ranked backlog with every input and its source, the cut line, mandatory and validate-first lists, stated overrides, and the inputs worth firming up.
Best for
Product teams and leads running quarterly planning or settling priority disputes between stakeholders.
SKILL.md preview
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name: rice-backlog-ranker
description: Score and rank a whole backlog with RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) using calibrated, consistent scales - one reach window, one impact metric, evidence-based confidence, full-team effort - then run a sensitivity check that shows which ranks are fragile, separate mandatory work from scored work, and draw a defensible cut line for the period. Use when the user says "rank our backlog", "RICE score these", "help us prioritize next quarter", "stakeholders can't agree on priorities", "where is the cut line?", "check our RICE scores", or pastes a spreadsheet of initiatives and asks what to do first.
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# RICE Backlog Ranker
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