Why priority arguments never end
Every idea has a defender, and there is no common measure: one speaks about reach, another about importance, a third about deadlines. RICE — the scoring method proposed by the Intercom team — gives a single formula: one score per idea, sorting by the score, and an argument about the scores of the components instead of an argument about tastes.
The four components of the formula
Reach — how many people the change will touch in the chosen period (for example, users per quarter). Impact — the strength of the effect on one person on the standard scale: 3 — massive impact, 2 — high, 1 — medium, 0.5 — low, 0.25 — minimal. Confidence — the certainty in the estimates of reach and impact, in percent. Effort — the total work of the team in person-weeks: design, development, testing, support.
The formula and a calculation example
The final score: RICE = Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort. Example: the idea "chat with history" — reach 1200 users, impact 3, confidence 80%, effort 4 person-weeks: 1200 × 3 × 0.8 ÷ 4 = 720. The idea "data import" — reach 300, impact 2, confidence 100%, effort 6: 300 × 2 × 1.0 ÷ 6 = 100. The chat with history wins, although the "import" seemed more important at the meeting: the numbers show that the stakes are incomparable.
How to assess confidence honestly
Confidence is the most disputed score, so there is a rule for it: 100% — data (metrics, measurements), 80% — direct observations (interviews, logs), 50% — an expert estimate without data. If there is no data, the confidence does not go above 50%, and the idea loses to ideas with measurements — and that is right: an unmeasured idea must cost less.
Typical mistakes
The first — counting the whole audience instead of the target one: you must count those whom the change will actually touch, not all the users. The second — the same impact score for everything: if everything is 3, the formula turns into "reach ÷ effort". The third — Effort without the word "person": a week of two developers is two person-weeks. And the last one — comparing ideas of different horizons: RICE works within one planning period, otherwise the reaches are incomparable.
What you get in the end
The result of the ten-minute exercise is a ranked table: the ideas, the four components, the final score, sorted in descending order. Then the team agrees on the selection threshold (for example, "we take scores above 300") and selects the top three items for the next planning cycle. RICE does not replace the discussion — it makes it substantive. Together with the analysis of reasons (Fishbone) and the opportunity map, it closes the chain: find the reason, find the options, choose by number. About how to build the opportunity map — in the article "Opportunity map".
Questions and answers
What does the abbreviation RICE mean?
Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort: the final score = Reach × Impact × Confidence / Effort.
Why divide by Effort?
So that an idea with a big reach but a month of development does not push out three quick improvements with a comparable effect.
Which scales are used?
Reach in people per period, impact 0.25-3 on the standard scale, confidence 50-100%, effort in person-weeks.
How to assess confidence honestly?
100% with data, 80% with observations, 50% with an expert estimate; without data the confidence must not be higher than 50%.
How long does the calculation take?
10 minutes for a table of 5-10 ideas: scoring the four components and one division per idea.
Does RICE replace the team discussion?
No: it makes the discussion substantive by focusing it on component scores instead of personal preference.
Where is RICE used on the site?
In the prioritization of hypotheses and features: after the analysis of reasons and contradictions, the ideas are ranked with one table.
What does the team get in the end?
A ranked table with scores, the top three items for the next planning cycle, and a documented selection threshold.