RICE/DRICE Prioritisation
The enhanced RICE framework with a Dublin twist — adding Defensibility as a scoring dimension for enterprise and platform product decisions.
RICE/DRICE Prioritisation
RICE is the workhorse of product prioritisation. DRICE is my enhanced version that adds a fifth dimension for platform and enterprise contexts.
Standard RICE
| Dimension | Question | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | How many users/accounts will this affect in a given period? | Number |
| Impact | How much will this move the needle for each user? | 0.25–3× |
| Confidence | How sure are we about Reach, Impact, and Effort? | 50–100% |
| Effort | How many person-weeks will this take? | Number |
Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort
DRICE — Adding Defensibility
In enterprise and platform contexts, features with high defensibility create long-term competitive advantage. A feature that competitors can trivially copy scores low. A feature deepened by proprietary data, network effects, or integration depth scores high.
| Dimension | Question | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Defensibility | How hard is this for a competitor to replicate? | 0.5–3× |
DRICE Score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence × Defensibility) / Effort
When to Use DRICE
- Choosing between features that score similarly on standard RICE
- Platform strategy decisions where lock-in matters
- Enterprise features where switching costs are a factor
- AI features where proprietary data or model tuning creates an advantage
Practical Tips
- Don’t game Confidence — If you set Confidence above 80%, you need data to back it up
- Effort should include the tail — Include post-ship monitoring, documentation, support load
- Reassess quarterly — RICE scores change as you learn more about users
- Make it visible — Keep scores in a shared spreadsheet, not in someone’s head