Free tool

Score and rank your initiatives with RICE or WSJF

Prioritization debates run in circles because every argument changes dimension mid-sentence: one person is talking about reach while the other is talking about effort. A scoring model fixes the dimensions. RICE multiplies reach, impact and confidence, then divides by effort; WSJF divides the cost of delay by job size, which favors small urgent work. This calculator runs either model over up to ten initiatives and ranks them. The score is not the decision, but it makes the disagreement specific, which is most of the battle.

How it works

  1. Pick the model. RICE fits product and growth backlogs where reach is measurable; WSJF fits work where timing and risk dominate.
  2. Score each initiative honestly, especially effort and confidence. Optimistic effort estimates are the most common way a pet project climbs the ranking.
  3. Read the ranked list together with the spread. A wide spread is a clear call; close scores mean the model cannot make this decision and the inputs deserve a challenge.
  4. Re-score when reality changes. A ranking from planning week describes planning week, and confidence numbers age fast.

Frequently asked questions

How is a RICE score calculated?

Reach times impact times confidence, divided by effort. Reach is people or events per period, impact is scored on a scale from 0.25 to 3, confidence is a percentage that discounts optimism, and effort is person-months. The division by effort is what makes RICE favor cheap, high-leverage work.

What is WSJF and when is it better than RICE?

Weighted Shortest Job First divides the cost of delay, business value plus time criticality plus risk reduction, by job size. It comes from SAFe and beats RICE when timing dominates: it surfaces small urgent items that a RICE score would rank mid-list.

What are the limits of scoring models?

Two big ones. The inputs are estimates, so the output inherits their optimism, and the model ranks a list rather than checking reality. After the ranking, the real question is whether capacity actually flows to the top items, and that needs observation, not scoring.

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