(added 12/16 to uie.com’s All You Can Learn video library, link here)
Bruce created a matrix of bad ways to rank ideas:
He also charted steps to prioritization:
A key starting point is figuring out your strategic goal is —i.e. defining desired end goals
- Needs (output) are different than end goals (outcome):
- By focusing on outcomes, we can better prioritize our work
Barry identifies 10 basic product goals:
- Don’t work on more than 3 goals at any given time
Create a prioritization scorecard
Rate goals 0,1,2—with 0 being little effect on the product, 1 being moderate effect, and 2 being large effect
Use T-shirt sizing to create a quick estimate of effort involved, from 1 (least effort) to 5 (most effort)
Use rough percentages to evaluate your confidence in achieving a goal
- Consider the skills, amount of time, experience etc required to achieve to the goal
Create your scorecard:
- G stands for goal rating, E for effort level, C for confidence
Bruce recognizes that sometimes priorities have other influences:
Leveraging themes to prioritize ideas
Theme—A group of features tied together by a simple, clear benefit, usually to the customer
- Themes are vague:
- High level w few words
- Make the benefit obvious
- Many details rolled up
- Comprised of multiple features—so we can declare victory even if we don’t get to develop them all
So how do you apply themes to a backlog with lots of ideas?
- Review ideas and ask “Why?”—what problem are we solving and what outcome do we seek?
- Group ideas into themes
- Prioritize themes
Bruce has uploaded his scorecard and other relevant items to his website
Bruce also offers a 30 min free chat about your team challenges (nice of him!)—email him at bruce@reqqs.com
Bruce is co-author of a new book, Product Roadmapping: Align Your Teams, and Deliver the Most to Your Customers and Stakeholders
About Bruce (from his site productpowers.com): Ever since he was a child, Bruce has been making things. Having spent a lifetime as a builder and innovator, today he has a passion for understanding customer needs and creating compelling solutions.
Bruce is proud to say that, as a young man, he used LEGOs to obtain food and attract a mate. Those critical goals accomplished, in 1987 he made his first foray into the online marketplace, listing goods for sale using a 300-baud modem. Bruce brought this experience to iMarket, inc., where he created the world’s first online lettershop and mailing house, followed by its first virtual datamart.
Bruce has founded three companies and has led teams in organizations ranging from startups to market leaders such as Art Technology Group, Oracle and D&B. His executive-level positions include, most recently, VP of Product at NetProspex. Along the way, he has demonstrated his leadership in areas ranging from marketing to acquisitions (on both sides of the table) to product management and development.
A dedicated evangelist for better products and product management, Bruce founded UpUp Labs in 2012. Through it, he offers consulting services and applies his expertise to building innovative tools like Reqqs, the forthcoming smart roadmap tool for product people.
