In the bustling heart of tech, where new ideas sprout faster than we can tend to them, Intercom—a messaging software company—found itself at a crossroads. Sean McBride and his team at Intercom sifted through an array of prioritization methods to determine which would be best suited for their specific challenges. And while these pre-existing models offered insights, none truly resonated with the precise needs of Intercom’s ever-expanding universe of project ideas.
So, what does a company do when it’s caught between a rock and a hard place? It innovates.
McBride and his team weren’t about to let existing models hold them back. They rolled up their sleeves and carved out their own….
Enter the RICE prioritization model—a fresh, pragmatic approach that melds four clear-cut factors: reach, impact, confidence, and effort.
Inventing a formula to combine these elements, the team developed a tool which produced a clear, concise result for any idea that was thrown at it. No more second guessing. No more “what if?” Just a straight-up, objective system to guide their product roadmap. Guess what? This wasn’t just a makeshift tool—it dramatically refined Intercom’s…
