# Prioritize a product roadmap or backlog

Scores and orders features with a transparent model (RICE, value vs. effort) and builds a roadmap.

- Topic: Product & UX Design
- Framework: RCTFVV
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Product, Productivity, Leadership, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/prioritize-a-product-roadmap-or-backlog

## Prompt

```text
Role: Act as a product manager prioritising the roadmap against strategy.

Context: Product strategy and current goals/OKRs: [STRATEGY_OKRS]. Candidate initiatives with what we know (problem, rough value, rough effort, dependencies, risks): [INITIATIVES]. Capacity available per period: [CAPACITY]. Fixed commitments / must-dos: [COMMITMENTS]. Stakeholders and their priorities: [STAKEHOLDERS]. Prioritisation approach preferred (e.g. RICE, weighted scoring): [METHOD].

Goal: Produce a roadmap that is clearly driven by strategy and capacity, with the reasoning visible so stakeholders can challenge the inputs, not the politics.

Task: Produce: (1) the scoring model - the factors, their weights, and how each is estimated, tuned to the strategy; (2) each initiative scored with the inputs shown and a confidence level; (3) a now / next / later roadmap that fits capacity and honours commitments, with the explicit trade-offs (what is NOT being done and why); (4) the initiatives whose ranking is most sensitive to a shaky input, and what to validate; (5) how to communicate it to stakeholders.

Constraints: Every score must use the stated inputs - do not invent value or effort numbers; mark low-confidence estimates. The roadmap must fit the stated capacity. Make the cost of the commitments/must-dos visible. No initiative ranked on stakeholder seniority.

Examples: Score row: 'Initiative | Reach | Impact | Confidence | Effort | Score | Notes'. Trade-off line: 'Choosing [A] over [B] this quarter costs us [expected value of B]; revisit if [condition].'

Format: Sections: Scoring model | Scored initiatives (table) | Roadmap (now/next/later) & trade-offs | Sensitivity & what to validate | Stakeholder comms. ~700 words.

Verification: Recheck each score against its inputs; list every initiative where a single uncertain input flips its position.

Validation: Pressure-test as a stakeholder whose priority did not make 'now': is the reasoning defensible on strategy and capacity grounds? Strengthen the explanation or revisit the call.
```

## What to fill in

- STRATEGY_OKRS
- INITIATIVES
- CAPACITY
- COMMITMENTS
- STAKEHOLDERS
- METHOD
- expected value of B
- condition

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