Product Prioritization: How to Determine Which Features Should Come First

It is natural to want to include a variety of features when developing a new product. At Works, we prioritize creating software of superior quality and have an abundance of concepts to aid in achieving this goal.

Perfection may be unattainable, and it may not be financially feasible to include all desired enhancements. Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that not all characteristics are essential for a successful product, as excessive features may deter the intended audience.

Determining which product characteristics and improvements take priority can be a challenging task. Luckily, there are 8 simple steps to begin with!

Segment and Categorize Features

Prior to commencing, compile a roster of the features you intend to incorporate. Divide these modifications into more manageable, bite-sized undertakings. Classify elements into their appropriate categories based on a clearly defined set of standards.

Each segment or subject should clearly align with the goals of the business or team. If it isn’t feasible to connect a certain subject to the broader mission of the company, it shouldn’t be incorporated in that area.

Certain developers find the Kano Method, invented by Noriaki Kano, to be a beneficial model. It entails classifying features based on their ability to generate customer contentment. Ultimately, the objective of any product should be customer satisfaction, making this strategy logical.

Plan

After segmenting your features, it’s advisable to construct a structured system to organize them. This could be a spreadsheet or a project management tool, depending on what works best for you and your team. Doing so will allow you to better comprehend the overall plan and how your features fit into it.

Establish a fresh organizational framework based on the recently established classifications. To facilitate identification, contemplate utilising color coding with a project management platform.

Determine Return on Investment

To evaluate the effectiveness of your system, it’s crucial to classify the proposed features into specific groups. This will allow you to gauge the degree to which each feature contributes to the success of your product.

To compute Return on Investment (ROI), all features must first be given a score and assigned a numerical value. While forecasting the precise impact of a particular feature is challenging, it’s feasible to make an informed estimate by using one’s objectives as a benchmark. This will assist in determining the amount of time and effort required to implement the desired enhancements.

Different Scoring Approaches

After assessing the characteristics, it may be advantageous to organise them based on their numerical values. Multiple established approaches exist for highlighting the true worth of the features.

An Effort-Effect Matrix is a valuable instrument for assessing the effort required versus the possible benefits. This matrix can assist in recognising the characteristics that will have the greatest impact on the entirety of the product. It’s a supplementary technique to the scoring method discussed in the third phase, making it simpler to identify the most essential elements.

Alternatively, the RICE method is worth considering. RICE stands for Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. By assessing each feature against these four standards, an informed choice can be made.

Sort the Features

After gathering numerical values for each characteristic in Phases 3 and 4, they can be ranked in a prioritised list. Other techniques are also available for establishing rankings.

A narrative map is an effective technique that can be employed. This approach allows one to examine their product from a customer’s viewpoint. It follows the user’s progression as they employ the product and charts each feature category along a horizontal axis. The experiences obtained from the journey are then ranked along a vertical axis.

Discuss with Your Team

It’s important to remember that feature decisions should not be made in a vacuum. Although it’s possible to have a good understanding of the features that would benefit the product the most, the Product Manager, UX Designer, Project Manager, and QA Engineer, among others, should all be consulted to ensure that these features are adequately implemented.

The team members may offer feedback on both the necessity of these features and on the feasibility of implementing them.

Ensure that

The connection between your product and the customer is of utmost importance. Since human beings are the ones who will be using it, following initial ideation, valuation, scoring, and evaluation, it’s critical to examine the features from a human perspective. Think about how a real person would use the product and what they would anticipate seeing in it. Therefore, utilising one’s own judgement to verify the outcomes is recommended.

Nonetheless, verifying is not the same as relying solely on hunches, and no new features should be included or prioritised solely based on intuition.

Create a Plan for Flexibility

After identifying the most critical characteristics for your product’s launch, you can now prioritise those that can be addressed at a later stage. It’s vital to create a strong strategy to ensure a successful product launch.

Thorough analysis of the features, creating procedures for verification and implementation, and successful product deployment all need close teamwork among developers, product managers, UX designers, project managers, and QA engineers.

Assessing and ranking features and product upgrades may be a demanding undertaking. However, adhering to a few important measures can help determine the most crucial aspects of your product and hasten the creation of top-notch software.

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