By Quick answer: How does RICE prioritization work?
- Formula — (Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort.
- Reach — users or events per quarter.
- Impact — 3, 2, 1, 0.5 or 0.25.
- Confidence — 100%, 80% or 50%.
- Effort — person-months.
Key takeaways
- RICE makes trade-offs explicit and comparable.
- Confidence penalises exciting ideas without evidence.
- Score as a group to expose different assumptions.
- Use the ranking to start a conversation, not end it.
- Rescore when evidence changes.
Every product team has more ideas than capacity. Without a shared method, the loudest voice or the latest customer complaint wins. Intercom's RICE framework1 brings discipline by scoring every idea on the same four factors.
The formula
RICE score = (Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort
| Factor | Question | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | How many users or events per quarter? | A number (e.g. 4,000 users) |
| Impact | How much will it move the goal for each? | 3 massive · 2 high · 1 medium · 0.5 low · 0.25 minimal |
| Confidence | How sure are we of the estimates? | 100% high · 80% medium · 50% low |
| Effort | How much work? | Person-months |
A worked calculator table
| Idea | Reach / quarter | Impact | Confidence | Effort (person-months) | RICE score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplify signup to one screen | 8,000 | 2 | 80% | 1 | 12,800 |
| UPI Autopay for subscriptions | 3,000 | 3 | 80% | 2 | 3,600 |
| Hindi language support | 5,000 | 1 | 50% | 3 | 833 |
| Dark mode | 6,000 | 0.25 | 100% | 1 | 1,500 |
| AI meal suggestions | 4,000 | 1 | 50% | 4 | 500 |
Simplified signup wins: it reaches many users, has strong impact on activation and is cheap. AI suggestions rank last — not because they're bad, but because confidence is low and effort high. Run a cheap test to raise confidence before building.
How to score well
- Define the goal — impact means impact on this goal, such as activation. See North Star metric examples.
- Use data for reach — analytics, not hopes.
- Agree impact anchors — examples of what "3" and "0.5" look like.
- Be honest about confidence — no research means 50%.
- Estimate effort with engineers — include design and testing.
- Discuss the ranking — then decide.
Common traps
Key terms, defined
Reach — how many users or events an idea affects in a period. Impact — how much it moves the goal per user. Confidence — certainty in the estimates. Effort — total work, in person-months. ICE — a simpler Impact, Confidence, Ease method.
Frequently asked questions
What does RICE stand for?
Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort — four factors combined into one score to prioritise product ideas.
Who created RICE?
Intercom's product team developed and published the RICE framework to compare ideas consistently.
What's the difference between RICE and ICE?
ICE scores Impact, Confidence and Ease without Reach. RICE adds Reach and uses Effort, making it better for comparing ideas affecting different numbers of users.
What scale should I use for impact?
Intercom's scale: 3 for massive, 2 for high, 1 for medium, 0.5 for low and 0.25 for minimal impact on the goal.
How do I estimate reach?
Use analytics: how many users or events will this touch in a set period, such as a quarter? Be consistent across ideas.
When shouldn't I use RICE?
For strategic bets, compliance requirements or critical bugs. Some work must happen regardless of score.
Sources
- Intercom — RICE: simple prioritization for product managers
- ProductPlan — RICE scoring model
- Checked October 23, 2026. Figures that change — fees, salaries, prices — are reviewed every six months; if something is out of date, tell us.
Where to go from here
- Product roadmap template — place the winners
- North Star metric examples — define impact
- Product managementPrioritization frameworks explained: RICE, MoSCoW, Kano, ICE and more — and when to use eachPrioritization frameworks explained with worked examples: RICE, ICE, MoSCoW, Kano and value vs effort — what each is good for and its blind spots.
- Career guidesProduct prioritisation skills employers want in 2027: RICE, Kano, cost of delay, opportunity cost, impact vs effort, saying no and communicating trade-offsProduct prioritisation skills employers want in 2027: RICE, Kano, cost of delay, opportunity cost, impact vs effort, saying no and explaining trade-offs.
- Templates & toolsCompetitor analysis template: how to analyse rival apps, with a scoring grid and a worked exampleA competitor analysis template for apps and startups: who to include, a scoring grid, UX teardown prompts, review mining and a worked example.
- Product managementWhat is a product roadmap? Types, examples and a free templateWhat a product roadmap is, the main formats (now–next–later, outcome-based, timeline), examples, a free template and how to present one honestly.
- Product managementProduct sense interview: how to answer "design a product for…" questionsHow to crack product sense interviews: a seven-step framework, a worked Indian example, what interviewers score and the mistakes to avoid.
- Templates & toolsFree product roadmap template: the Now–Next–Later format, with examples and how to run itA free product roadmap template in the Now–Next–Later format, with a filled example for an app, how to tie items to outcomes, and mistakes to avoid.
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A behavioral UX audit of your app or SaaS product: why users hesitate, stall and leave, and a prioritized fix list. Fixed price, 2–4 weeks.