Table of contents:
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Popular Prioritisation Methods
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The Role of Stakeholders in Product Prioritisation
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Maximising Productivity Through Prioritisation
Without prioritisation, product development can become a chaotic and unfocused process. It can lead to a waste of time, resources, missed deadlines - but most importantly - dissatisfied customers and lost opportunities. There are various prioritisation methods that product managers can use to order the work. These methods range from simple to complex, and there is no best method.
However it is good to know them, as it can be useful to understand different types of prioritisation techniques, so that you can choose the right one that fits your organisation's needs.
Popular Prioritisation Methods
Product Management involves juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities to ensure successful product delivery. Prioritisation is a crucial aspect of product development that ensures that the most important tasks are completed first. By focusing on the most critical tasks, you can ensure that the product is delivered on time and within budged.
| Technique | Description | Key focus |
| MoSCoW | categorises features into must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and won't haves | essential vs. nice-to-have features |
| Kano model | classifies features based on customer satisfaction and investment needed | customer satisfaction levels |
| Weighted scoring | scores features based on value and complexity | balancing value and effort |
| RICE scoring model | considers reach, impact, confidence, and effort | comprehensive impact assessment |
| Eisenhower matrix | categorises tasks based on urgency and importance | urgency and importance |
| Opportunity scoring | rates user satisfaction and importance of features | identifying improvement areas |
| Cost of delay | focuses on the economic impact of delaying a feature | economic impact of timing |
| Product tree | visual tool representing product components and features | visualising product development roadmap |
When determining which prioritisation method to use, it is essential to understand your product's specific needs. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses, and depending on your product's unique situation, you may find that one method is better suited than others.
The Role of Stakeholders in Product Prioritisation
Ok, so we know that one of the most important PM task is prioritising the features and functionalities of the product. It's a tricky process that involves balancing business goals, user needs, available resources... That is a lot. And, and, and you cannot forget about taking stakeholders into account.
Who are stakeholders? Well, these are any individuals or groups who have an interest in the outcome of the product. This can include customers, sales teams, executives, developers, project managers. Literally, anyone. As a PM you need to identify all relevant stakeholders, understand their needs and expectations, and incorporate their inputs into the decision-making process.
Once you have identified stakeholders, it's crucial to involve them in the prioritisation process. This includes sharing product roadmaps, discussing feature requests. By involving stakeholders early and often, you can ensure that their needs are considered and addressed.
Inevitably, stakeholders will have competing interests and conflicting priorities. As a poduct manager, it's your job to facilitate discussions and help stakeholders find common ground. This may involve compromise, tradeoffs - or even revisiting the product roadmap.
Here you can find strategies to resolve conflicts
The goal is to ensure that everyone is heard and that the product is prioritised based on the best information available.
Maximising Productivity Through Prioritisation
Setting realistic goals is one of the key elements to ensure productivity through product prioritisation. It's essential to be deliberate and considerate when selecting goals that are achievable within the given timeframe.
However, setting goals is just the beginning. Regularly re-evaluating priorities helps keep on track and ascertain that the goals are aligned with the business strategy. It helps avoid wasting time and energy on efforts that might not be productive in the long run.
Ensuring alignment with the business strategy is crucial as well. Prioritisation efforts should be directed towards ensuring the organisation's vision. Prioritising the wrong elements can result in efforts that don't reflect the organisation's strategy and can lead to a loss of productivity.
The key to maximise productivity is to incorporate the above elements into the prioritisation process. It ensures that organisation stays on track with its objectives and that efforts are being directed towards achieving the desired outcomes.
