Separate mandatory commitments from optional opportunities, name the outcome, choose one comparison method, record assumptions, test close results, and publish the decision with what would cause it to change.
- Constraints come before ranking.
- A score should answer one defined question about comparable options.
- The decision record should include rejected options and revisit conditions.
The situation
Relay has capacity for roughly six person-months next quarter. Its goal is to increase the percentage of new workspaces that invite a teammate and complete a shared task within seven days. Five requests compete for attention: an onboarding checklist, CSV export, enterprise SSO, automatic meeting recaps, and a theme marketplace.
One enterprise renewal depends on SSO passing a security review. The team treats the minimum SSO scope as a commitment, not an optional item that can lose a popularity contest. It reserves four person-months, leaving two for an activation initiative or a small experiment.
Evidence before scores
Funnel data shows that workspaces completing three setup steps activate at twice the baseline rate. Interviews show that CSV export matters mainly after teams are already active. Meeting recaps receive enthusiastic feedback but have little behavioral evidence. The theme marketplace has three requests and no connection to the quarter's outcome.
| Initiative | Evidence | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise SSO | Signed renewal condition | Mandatory minimum scope |
| Onboarding checklist | Strong funnel relationship | Score for activation |
| CSV export | Frequent request after activation | Defer from this outcome |
| Meeting recaps | High interest, weak behavior evidence | Run a small test |
| Theme marketplace | Three requests, weak strategic fit | Do not pursue |
The roadmap decision
The team funds the minimum SSO commitment. For the remaining capacity, the onboarding checklist has the strongest evidence and a complete version fits poorly into two person-months. Instead of pretending the capacity mismatch does not exist, the team narrows it to a two-step checklist experiment. It also tests meeting recaps with a manual prototype that takes two days.
The decision is: deliver minimum SSO, run the narrowed onboarding experiment, and run the recap prototype only if it does not delay the security milestone. CSV export moves to the next outcome review. The theme marketplace is closed unless new evidence changes its strategic fit.
What the team records
The decision record names the quarter's outcome, the SSO commitment, capacity assumptions, evidence date, selected work, rejected work, and revisit triggers. The onboarding experiment is reconsidered if its setup completion rate does not improve. CSV export is reconsidered when retention becomes the primary outcome or support cost crosses the agreed threshold.
Common mistakes
- Scoring a binding SSO commitment as though the team can simply decline it.
- Using customer request count as a substitute for outcome evidence.
- Keeping the original feature scope after capacity changes.
- Recording only the winner, which makes the same debate repeat next quarter.
Check your understanding
Why was enterprise SSO removed from the optional ranking?
A signed renewal made the minimum scope a real commitment. Constraints should be handled before optional opportunities are compared.
Sources
- Intercom: RICE prioritizationReference for comparing optional roadmap initiatives after constraints are handled.
- Atlassian Team Playbook: DACIReference for assigning decision roles and recording an outcome.