Product backlogs are filled with features, bugs, enhancements, and other items that all compete for development attention and resources. With so many options on the table, how do product managers know what to prioritize and work on next? This is where prioritization frameworks come in handy.
Prioritization frameworks provide structured, systematic methods to evaluate and rank items in your backlog so you can focus efforts on the work that delivers the most value. Instead of making prioritization decisions ad hoc, having a consistent framework brings discipline to the process.
In this post, the first in a series, we’ll explore the ICE Framework. ICE stands for Impact, Confidence, and Ease. It provides criteria to score and rank backlog items using a quantitative approach.
Understanding the frameworks covered in this series will provide product managers with more tools in their toolkits to make strategic prioritization decisions. Using these methods can help identify higher-value work, prevent opinion-based debates, and keep stakeholders aligned.
Let’s dive into the details of how ICE can be applied to prioritize product backlogs effectively.
The ICE Framework (Impact, Confidence, Ease)
The ICE framework evaluates backlog items based on three factors: impact, confidence, and ease. Impact refers to the potential value or benefits the item will bring to the users or business. Confidence measures the level of certainty or confidence in the potential impact. Ease assesses the effort required to implement the item. The higher the ICE score, the higher the priority.
This is what the process of using the ICE method looks like:
- Define the Backlog Items: List the items in the backlog that need prioritization.
- Assign Scores:
- Impact (I): Rate each item’s potential value or benefits on a scale, e.g., 1 to 10 (10 being the highest).
- Confidence (C): Gauge the certainty in the potential impact with a score, e.g., 1 to 10.
- Ease (E): Estimate the effort required to implement the item, again with a score of 1 to 10.
- Calculate ICE Score: For each item, calculate its ICE score using the formula: ICE = (Impact) × (Confidence) × (Ease).
- Prioritize: Sort the backlog items based on their ICE scores in descending order. The items with the highest ICE scores are your top priorities.
Example:
Suppose you have three backlog items and you score them in the following way:
| Impact | Confidence | Ease | |
| Item A | 8 | 7 | 5 |
| Item B | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Item C | 7 | 8 | 6 |
Here’s how you’d calculate the ICE scores:
- Item A: ICE = 8 × 7 × 5 = 280
- Item B: ICE = 9 × 6 × 3 = 162
- Item C: ICE = 7 × 8 × 6 = 336
The resulting priority order would be as follows:
- Item C (ICE = 336)
- Item A (ICE = 280)
- Item B (ICE = 162)
Conclusion: The ICE Framework
Prioritizing and grooming product backlogs are crucial activities for Product Managers and Product Owners, but can often feel overwhelming without a structured framework.
The ICE Framework provides a data-driven approach that results in numerical scoring to help focus on items that have the potential to bring high value, a reasonable level of confidence, and relatively low implementation effort.
As always, backlog prioritization should be collaborative and frequently revisited. But starting with a framework can help provide a structured process, and discipline needed to prioritize effectively. The ICE Framework is a proven approach that Product Managers and Product Owners can leverage to build better backlogs.
