Business

Product Management tools and cheat sheets – CIRCLES Problem Solving and RICE Prioritization

Today I am sharing a breakdown of the CIRCLES Problem Solving and RICE Prioritization Frameworks and how to approach a problem in a thoughtful, methodical, and analytical way. I find this handy to follow along as I am working on a problem to ensure every step is taken with intention and meaning.

I like to think that other people would like to use this information as well so I figured I should share it with you all. Feel free to add me on LinkedIn and show some endorsement <3 if you like the information!

Product management cheat sheet and tool - CIRCLES problem Solving and RICE prioritization by Matthew Knoot
Product Management tools and cheat sheets - CIRCLES Problem Solving and RICE Prioritization by Matthew Knoot

CIRCLES Problem Solving & RICE Prioritization Method – Design Thinking Framework

By Matthew Knoot

How to answer the question, “What feature/product would you build and why?”

Comprehend the Situation

  • What is the product?
  • Who is it for?
  • Why do they need it?
  • How does it work?

Identify the Customer

  • What are the User Personas?
  • Examples – Hungry guests, guests looking for parking prior to arrival, lost guests looking for their group.

Report the Customer’s Needs

  • As a <user type> , I want to <perform some action> so that I <can achieve some goal/result/benefit>.
  • Example – As a hungry theme-park guest, I want to find places to eat so that I can satisfy my hunger cravings quickly.

Cut, through Prioritization

  • I am going to do a Return On Investment (ROI) estimate using the RICE method.”
  • [R * I * C] / E Prioritization Method
  • [14 million * 50% * 75%] / 10 = 525,000 RICE Score <== Result can only be used compare with other options calculated with same types of values.
  • Reach – How many customers will this feature impact (Google the market size)? (Specific user group size?).
  • 14 million – assuming 75% of our annual visitors.
  • Impact – How thoroughly will this feature solve our customer’s problem? (What alternative existing products or services might exist? Will it fulfill 80/20 rule solving 80% of the problem?)
  • 50% (alternative is the in-park printed map).
  • Confidence – How confident am I in my estimates of Reach and Impact?
  • 75%.
  • Effort – How much work/time/cost is this going to take?
  • 10 Sprints – would need to ask Engineering team for realistic answer, can also answer in Fibonacci Sequence value for individual feature/user story [1, 2, 3, 5, 8].
  • Drawback to RICE method is having to group a diverse (higher/lower value) user base into one sum. Ideally it’s valuable for considering similarly valued groups of customers.

List Solutions

  • Reversal Method – reverse the situation to uncover new solutions.
  • Example: Help hungry guests find a place to eat quickly.
  • Need: Hungry guests may not even know where they are.
  • Solution based on reversal method: The app should locate the user and display pins with nearby food facilities with details like wait time, type of food, and relative cost.
  • Why Method – challenge the status quo.
  • Example: Help hungry guests find a place to eat quickly
  • Need: Why do guests need to go to a food facility? Why aren’t the food facilities mobile?
  • Solution based on why method: The theme-park can field a fleet of mobile food trucks or carts within the park.

Evaluate trade-offs

  • Be thoughtful, analytical, and objective.
  • Define your potential Trade-off Criteria (KPI’s) like cost, time, benefit, user satisfaction etc.
  • Make a grid and score each Trade-off Criteria (KPI) then total scores and compare.
  • Try a pro and con list for each potential solution, maintain neutrality do not get defensive .

Summarize Recommendation

  1. What – Tell the interviewer/stakeholder which product or feature you recommend
  2. Recap – Review why the solution is beneficial to the user/customer and/or the company.
  3. Why vs. Others – Explain again quickly why this solution won in the Evaluate phase.

Here is a list of some popular Metrics tools you might want to try (no affiliation): Google Analytics, Crazy Egg, KISS Metrics, Mixpanel, Optimizely (also AB Testing), Segment, Adobe Analytics.

Check out my other articles!

AARRR Pirate Metrics

HEART Metrics Cheat Sheet

Join the discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/

“Thank you for reading and good luck building that next Rockstar Product!” –Matthew Knoot