WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) in Product Prioritization

WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) is a prioritization framework developed by Don Reinertsen that helps product managers and teams prioritize features and projects based on their value and urgency. It assigns weights to features based on their cost of delay, job size, and risk reduction, and prioritizes features with the highest WSJF score.

WSJF stands for Weighted Shortest Job First.

Features of WSJF

  1. Cost of Delay: The cost of delaying a feature or project in terms of lost revenue or opportunity. It helps product managers understand the urgency and importance of the feature or project and prioritize features with a high cost of delay.
  2. Job Size: The size of the feature or project in terms of complexity or effort required. It helps product managers understand the effort and resources required to implement the feature or project and prioritize features with a smaller job size.
  3. Risk Reduction: The potential risk reduction or mitigation that the feature or project provides. It helps product managers understand the potential impact and value of the feature or project and prioritize features with a higher risk reduction.

Use Case of WSJF

WSJF is used by product managers and teams to prioritize features and projects based on their value and urgency. It helps product managers make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and focus their efforts.

Benefits of WSJF

  1. Objective: WSJF provides an objective and data-driven approach to prioritization.
  2. Comprehensive: WSJF takes into account multiple factors, including cost of delay, job size, and risk reduction, to provide a comprehensive view of the value and urgency of features and projects.
  3. Flexible: WSJF can be customized and adapted to match the specific needs and goals of the product manager and the team.

Drawbacks of WSJF

  1. Complexity: WSJF can be complex and difficult to apply in practice, especially for features and projects with a large number of variables and dependencies.
  2. Subjectivity: WSJF relies on the judgment of the product manager and team members to estimate cost of delay, job size, and risk reduction, which can be subjective and biased.
  3. Limited Scope: WSJF is limited in scope and does not take into account other factors that may affect prioritization, such as cost, effort, or strategic alignment.

Overall, WSJF is a useful framework for prioritizing features and projects based on their value and urgency.

What is Product Prioritization Framewoks?

Product prioritization frameworks are methodologies or approaches used by product managers to determine which features, tasks, or projects should be prioritized based on various criteria. These frameworks help product managers make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and focus their efforts.

Table of Content

  • What is Prioritization in Product Management?
  • What are product prioritization frameworks?
  • Common Product Prioritization Frameworks
  • MoSCoW Method
  • Kano Model in Product Prioritization
  • RICE Score in Product Prioritization
  • WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First) in Product Prioritization
  • Value vs. Effort Matrix in Product Prioritization
  • Eisenhower Matrix in Product Prioritization
  • Conclusion

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RICE Score in Product Prioritization

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Value vs. Effort Matrix in Product Prioritization

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Conclusion

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