A weighted scoring model is a technique that enables product and project managers to make informed and objective prioritization decisions.
It’s based on the multiple-criteria decision-making mathematical model, and it involves assigning numerical values to features and initiatives based on predefined criteria, like value and effort.
We talk about weighted scoring when each of the criteria has a different value.
For example, in a cost-benefit analysis, an organization may consider the cost of development to be twice as important as the cost of its implementation. In this case, the first will be worth 0.66 while the latter – 0.33.
In both weighted and unweighted scoring models, teams assign values according to each of the criteria.
However, in the unweighted frameworks, each of the benefit and cost categories is worth the same. In the weighted scoring model, some of the categories are more important than others – they get more weight.
Let’s go back to the example above.
In the weighted model, we have a 66/33 ratio between the development cost and the implementation cost. In an unweighted model, these two would be equally important, so the ratio would be 1/1.
Product and project managers use the weighted scoring model to make important decisions.
Overall, the weighted scoring model is preferred for complex and high-stakes decisions.
There are a number of pros of using a weighted scoring framework.
Here are a few important reasons to consider it:
Despite its strengths, weighted scoring does come with a few downsides.
Here’s a breakdown of the main ones:
Let’s imagine that you’re building a mobile health and wellness app and you’re currently working on a major update.
As a product manager, you need to prioritize the features to include in the update, so you decide to use the weighted scoring model.
Here’s how you apply the framework, step by step.
The first step is identifying all the possible features you may want to include in the update.
This normally includes product and customer discovery to find customer needs, wants, and pain points.
In this hypothetical scenario, your team has come up with 5 possible features:
Some of these features have been requested by your current users.
Once you have identified the features, it’s time to select prioritization criteria.
You can do it in two ways. One option is to use a ready prioritization framework like RICE, ICE, or Value vs. Effort. If you choose RICE, your criteria will be Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. If ICE, it would be Impact, Confidence, and Ease, and so on.
Alternatively, you can choose bespoke criteria reflecting your goals or values.
That’s what you decide to do in this scenario. Your criteria are
Having identified the scoring criteria, you now need to assign weighting values.
There are two things to remember here:
First, group the criteria in terms of their impact, either positive or negative.
Out of the 5 criteria you’ve identified, user demand, market competitiveness, and potential for revenue generation are all positive, and the development cost and implementation complexity are negative.
Second, the weighted values you allocate to features in each group should make up the total of 100%.
This is our allocation:
On the other side, you have:
After assigning the weights to each of the criteria, you’re ready to score them.
Start by selecting a scale, for example, 1-5 or 1-10. In our case, you decide on the first.
Next, score each feature according to each criterion.
For example, these are the scores for the enhanced activity tracker feature:
Next, calculate the weighted scores.
Pro tip: To make the scoring easier, use a spreadsheet to create a weighted scoring chart.
In the rows, list all the features, while in the columns – the criteria. Under each of the criteria, write the weighting value for easy reference and to automate the calculations later on.
To calculate the overall score for each feature, add the weighted scores for all the positive features and divide them by the sum of the weighted scores for all the negative ones.
So in the case of the enhanced exercise tracker, this is (1.5+1+0.9)/(3.5+1.2)=0.72
We’re nearly there. All you have to do now is compare the scores and use the data to make a decision on what goes into the update.
You can see that the sleep tracker and the community feature have the highest scores, so that’s what you decide to develop.
Nearly, there! All the features are prioritized so you only have a couple more things to do.
Before starting to build the features, make sure to validate them through concept testing.
This basically means double-checking if users actually want the feature and are willing to pay for it. In this way, you avoid investing resources into functionality that nobody uses.
Useful validation techniques include:
If your validation research reveals that there is genuine demand for the functionality, add the feature to your roadmap. That’s assuming you already have a roadmap.
If not, there are a bunch of tools for creating them. These range from universal design solutions like Miro to dedicated road mapping and product management tools like Airfocus or Dragonboat.
It’s also a good idea to create a public roadmap to keep your customers in the loop.
A weighted scoring model is an effective tool for making informed and objective prioritization decisions.
However, developing your scoring matrix may be complicated to start with. To facilitate the process, it’s best to involve all product team members to ensure a shared understanding of the criteria and their importance.
If you want to see how Userpilot can help you collect feature requests, conduct surveys, and run fake door tests, book the demo!
