home / skills / levnikolaevich / claude-code-skills / ln-230-story-prioritizer

ln-230-story-prioritizer skill

/ln-230-story-prioritizer

This skill performs RICE-based prioritization for each story with market research, producing a consolidated prioritization.md for the given epic.

npx playbooks add skill levnikolaevich/claude-code-skills --skill ln-230-story-prioritizer

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (6)
SKILL.md
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---
name: ln-230-story-prioritizer
description: RICE prioritization per Story with market research. Generates consolidated prioritization table in docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md. L2 worker called after ln-220.
---

> **Paths:** File paths (`shared/`, `references/`, `../ln-*`) are relative to skills repo root. If not found at CWD, locate this SKILL.md directory and go up one level for repo root.

# Story Prioritizer

Evaluate Stories using RICE scoring with market research. Generate consolidated prioritization table for Epic.

## Purpose & Scope

- Prioritize Stories AFTER ln-220 creates them
- Research market size and competition per Story
- Calculate RICE score for each Story
- Generate prioritization table (P0/P1/P2/P3)
- Output: docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md

## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- Stories created by ln-220, need business prioritization
- Planning sprint with limited capacity (which Stories first?)
- Stakeholder review requires data-driven priorities
- Evaluating feature ROI before implementation

**Do NOT use when:**
- Epic has no Stories yet (run ln-220 first)
- Stories are purely technical (infrastructure, refactoring)
- Prioritization already exists in docs/market/

**Who calls this skill:**
- **ln-200-scope-decomposer** Phase 4 (optional, sequential per Epic)
- **User (manual)** - standalone after ln-220-story-coordinator

---

## Input Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description | Default |
|-----------|----------|-------------|---------|
| epic | Yes | Epic ID or "Epic N" format | - |
| stories | No | Specific Story IDs to prioritize | All in Epic |
| depth | No | Research depth (quick/standard/deep) | "standard" |

**depth options:**
- `quick` - 2-3 min/Story, 1 WebSearch per type
- `standard` - 5-7 min/Story, 2-3 WebSearches per type
- `deep` - 8-10 min/Story, comprehensive research

---

## Output Structure

```
docs/market/[epic-slug]/
└── prioritization.md    # Consolidated table + RICE details + sources
```

**Table columns (from user requirements):**

| Priority | Customer Problem | Feature | Solution | Rationale | Impact | Market | Sources | Competition |
|----------|------------------|---------|----------|-----------|--------|--------|---------|-------------|
| P0 | User pain point | Story title | Technical approach | Why important | Business impact | $XB | [Link] | Blue 1-3 / Red 4-5 |

---

## Research Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Example Query |
|------|---------|---------------|
| **WebSearch** | Market size, competitors | "[domain] market size 2025" |
| **mcp__Ref** | Industry reports | "[domain] market analysis report" |
| **Linear** | Load Stories | list_issues(project=Epic.id) |
| **Glob** | Check existing | "docs/market/[epic]/*" |

---

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Discovery (2 min)

**Objective:** Validate input and prepare context.

**Process:**

1. **Parse Epic input:**
   - Accept: Epic ID, "Epic N", or Linear Project URL
   - Query: `get_project(query=epic)`
   - Extract: Epic ID, title, description

2. **Auto-discover configuration:**
   - Read `docs/tasks/kanban_board.md` for Team ID
   - Slugify Epic title for output path

3. **Check existing prioritization:**
   ```
   Glob: docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md
   ```
   - If exists: Ask "Update existing or create new?"
   - If new: Continue

4. **Create output directory:**
   ```bash
   mkdir -p docs/market/[epic-slug]/
   ```

**Output:** Epic metadata, output path, existing check result

---

### Phase 2: Load Stories Metadata (3 min)

**Objective:** Build Story queue with metadata only (token efficiency).

**Process:**

1. **Query Stories from Epic:**
   ```
   list_issues(project=Epic.id, label="user-story")
   ```

2. **Extract metadata only:**
   - Story ID, title, status
   - **DO NOT** load full descriptions yet

3. **Filter Stories:**
   - Exclude: Done, Cancelled, Archived
   - Include: Backlog, Todo, In Progress

4. **Build processing queue:**
   - Order by: existing priority (if any), then by ID
   - Count: N Stories to process

**Output:** Story queue (ID + title), ~50 tokens/Story

---

### Phase 3: Story-by-Story Analysis Loop (5-10 min/Story)

**Objective:** For EACH Story: load description, research, score RICE.

**Critical:** Process Stories ONE BY ONE for token efficiency!

#### Per-Story Steps:

##### Step 3.1: Load Story Description

```
get_issue(id=storyId, includeRelations=false)
```

**Extract from Story:**
- **Feature:** Story title
- **Customer Problem:** From "So that [value]" + Context section
- **Solution:** From Technical Notes (implementation approach)
- **Rationale:** From AC + Success Criteria

##### Step 3.2: Research Market Size

**WebSearch queries (based on depth):**
```
"[customer problem domain] market size TAM 2025"
"[feature type] industry market forecast"
```

**mcp__Ref query:**
```
"[domain] market analysis Gartner Statista"
```

**Extract:**
- Market size: $XB (with unit: B=Billion, M=Million)
- Growth rate: X% CAGR
- Sources: URL + date

**Confidence mapping:**
- Industry report (Gartner, Statista) → Confidence 0.9-1.0
- News article → Confidence 0.7-0.8
- Blog/Forum → Confidence 0.5-0.6

##### Step 3.3: Research Competition

**WebSearch queries:**
```
"[feature] competitors alternatives 2025"
"[solution approach] market leaders"
```

**Count competitors and classify:**

| Competitors Found | Competition Index | Ocean Type |
|-------------------|-------------------|------------|
| 0 | 1 | Blue Ocean |
| 1-2 | 2 | Emerging |
| 3-5 | 3 | Growing |
| 6-10 | 4 | Mature |
| >10 | 5 | Red Ocean |

##### Step 3.4: Calculate RICE Score

```
RICE = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort
```

**Reach (1-10):** Users affected per quarter
| Score | Users | Indicators |
|-------|-------|------------|
| 1-2 | <500 | Niche, single persona |
| 3-4 | 500-2K | Department-level |
| 5-6 | 2K-5K | Organization-wide |
| 7-8 | 5K-10K | Multi-org |
| 9-10 | >10K | Platform-wide |

**Impact (0.25-3.0):** Business value
| Score | Level | Indicators |
|-------|-------|------------|
| 0.25 | Minimal | Nice-to-have |
| 0.5 | Low | QoL improvement |
| 1.0 | Medium | Efficiency gain |
| 2.0 | High | Revenue driver |
| 3.0 | Massive | Strategic differentiator |

**Confidence (0.5-1.0):** Data quality (from Step 3.2)

**Data Confidence Assessment:**

For each RICE factor, assess data confidence level:

| Confidence | Criteria | Score Modifier |
|------------|----------|----------------|
| HIGH | Multiple authoritative sources (Gartner, Statista, SEC filings) | Factor used as-is |
| MEDIUM | 1-2 sources, mixed quality (blog + report) | Factor ±25% range shown |
| LOW | No sources, team estimate only | Factor ±50% range shown |

**Output:** Show confidence per factor in prioritization table + RICE range (optimistic/pessimistic) to make uncertainty explicit.

**Effort (1-10):** Person-months
| Score | Time | Story Indicators |
|-------|------|------------------|
| 1-2 | <2 weeks | 3 AC, simple CRUD |
| 3-4 | 2-4 weeks | 4 AC, integration |
| 5-6 | 1-2 months | 5 AC, complex logic |
| 7-8 | 2-3 months | External dependencies |
| 9-10 | 3+ months | New infrastructure |

##### Step 3.5: Determine Priority

| Priority | RICE Threshold | Competition Override |
|----------|----------------|---------------------|
| P0 (Critical) | >= 30 | OR Competition = 1 (Blue Ocean monopoly) |
| P1 (High) | >= 15 | OR Competition <= 2 (Emerging market) |
| P2 (Medium) | >= 5 | - |
| P3 (Low) | < 5 | Competition = 5 (Red Ocean) forces P3 |

##### Step 3.6: Store and Clear

- Append row to in-memory results table
- Clear Story description from context
- Move to next Story in queue

**Output per Story:** Complete row for prioritization table

---

### Phase 4: Generate Prioritization Table (5 min)

**Objective:** Create consolidated markdown output.

**Process:**

1. **Sort results:**
   - Primary: Priority (P0 → P3)
   - Secondary: RICE score (descending)

2. **Generate markdown:**
   - Use template from references/prioritization_template.md
   - Fill: Priority Summary, Main Table, RICE Details, Sources

3. **Save file:**
   ```
   Write: docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md
   ```

**Output:** Saved prioritization.md

---

### Phase 5: Summary & Next Steps (1 min)

**Objective:** Display results and recommendations.

**Output format:**
```
## Prioritization Complete

**Epic:** [Epic N - Name]
**Stories analyzed:** X
**Time elapsed:** Y minutes

### Priority Distribution:
- P0 (Critical): X Stories - Implement ASAP
- P1 (High): X Stories - Next sprint
- P2 (Medium): X Stories - Backlog
- P3 (Low): X Stories - Consider deferring

### Top 3 Priorities:
1. [Story Title] - RICE: X, Market: $XB, Competition: Blue/Red

### Saved to:
docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md

### Next Steps:
1. Review table with stakeholders
2. Run ln-300 for P0/P1 Stories first
3. Consider cutting P3 Stories
```

---

## Time-Box Constraints

| Depth | Per-Story | Total (10 Stories) |
|-------|-----------|-------------------|
| quick | 2-3 min | 20-30 min |
| standard | 5-7 min | 50-70 min |
| deep | 8-10 min | 80-100 min |

**Time management rules:**
- If Story exceeds time budget: Skip deep research, use estimates (Confidence 0.5)
- If total exceeds budget: Switch to "quick" depth for remaining Stories
- Parallel WebSearch where possible (market + competition)

---

## Token Efficiency

**Loading pattern:**
- Phase 2: Metadata only (~50 tokens/Story)
- Phase 3: Full description ONE BY ONE (~3,000-5,000 tokens/Story)
- After each Story: Clear description, keep only result row (~100 tokens)

**Memory management:**
- Sequential processing (not parallel)
- Maximum context: 1 Story description at a time
- Results accumulate as compact table rows

---

## Integration with Ecosystem

**Position in workflow:**
```
ln-210 (Scope → Epics)
     ↓
ln-220 (Epic → Stories)
     ↓
ln-230 (RICE per Story → prioritization table) ← THIS SKILL
     ↓
ln-300 (Story → Tasks)
```

**Dependencies:**
- WebSearch, mcp__Ref (market research)
- Linear MCP (load Epic, Stories)
- Glob, Write, Bash (file operations)

**Downstream usage:**
- Sprint planning uses P0/P1 to select Stories
- ln-300 processes Stories in priority order
- Stakeholders review before implementation

---

## Critical Rules

1. **Source all data** - Every Market number needs source + date
2. **Prefer recent data** - 2024-2025, warn if older
3. **Cross-reference** - 2+ sources for Market size (reduce error)
4. **Time-box strictly** - Skip depth for speed if needed
5. **Confidence levels** - Mark High/Medium/Low for estimates
6. **No speculation** - Only sourced claims, note "[No data]" gaps
7. **One Story at a time** - Token efficiency critical
8. **Preserve language** - If user asks in Russian, respond in Russian

---

## Definition of Done

- [ ] Epic validated in Linear
- [ ] All Stories loaded (metadata, then descriptions per-Story)
- [ ] Market research completed (2+ sources per Story)
- [ ] RICE score calculated for each Story
- [ ] Competition index assigned (1-5)
- [ ] Priority assigned (P0/P1/P2/P3)
- [ ] Table sorted by Priority + RICE
- [ ] File saved to docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md
- [ ] Summary with top priorities and next steps
- [ ] Total time within budget

---

## Example Usage

**Basic usage:**
```
ln-230-story-prioritizer epic="Epic 7"
```

**With parameters:**
```
ln-230-story-prioritizer epic="Epic 7: Translation API" depth="deep"
```

**Specific Stories:**
```
ln-230-story-prioritizer epic="Epic 7" stories="US001,US002,US003"
```

**Example output (docs/market/translation-api/prioritization.md):**

| Priority | Customer Problem | Feature | Solution | Rationale | Impact | Market | Sources | Competition |
|----------|------------------|---------|----------|-----------|--------|--------|---------|-------------|
| P0 | "Repeat translations cost GPU" | Translation Memory | Redis cache, 5ms lookup | 70-90% GPU cost reduction | High | $2B+ | [M&M](link) | 3 |
| P0 | "Can't translate PDF" | PDF Support | PDF parsing + layout | Enterprise blocker | High | $10B+ | [Eden](link) | 5 |
| P1 | "Need video subtitles" | SRT/VTT Support | Timing preservation | Blue Ocean opportunity | Medium | $5.7B | [GMI](link) | 2 |

---

## Reference Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| [prioritization_template.md](references/prioritization_template.md) | Output markdown template |
| [rice_scoring_guide.md](references/rice_scoring_guide.md) | RICE factor scales and examples |
| [research_queries.md](references/research_queries.md) | WebSearch query templates by domain |
| [competition_index.md](references/competition_index.md) | Blue/Red Ocean classification rules |

---

**Version:** 1.0.0
**Last Updated:** 2025-12-23

Overview

This skill performs RICE-based prioritization for Stories within an Epic using targeted market research. It produces a consolidated prioritization markdown at docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md and is intended to run after story creation (ln-220). The output includes RICE scores, confidence ranges, market sizing, competition index, and clear priority buckets (P0–P3).

How this skill works

The skill validates the Epic input, loads story metadata, then processes Stories one-by-one to fetch descriptions, run web research, and extract market size and competitor data. For each Story it computes Reach, Impact, Confidence and Effort, calculates a RICE score (with optimistic/pessimistic ranges), assigns a competition index, and determines a final priority. Finally it generates a sorted markdown table and saves docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md.

When to use it

  • After ln-220 has created Stories and you need business-driven prioritization
  • When planning a sprint and capacity requires ordering work (which Stories first?)
  • When stakeholders request evidence-based priorities with sources and confidence
  • To evaluate feature ROI and market fit before committing implementation
  • Do not run if the Epic has no Stories or if prioritization already exists

Best practices

  • Process Stories sequentially to preserve token efficiency and clear context after each Story
  • Time-box research per Story by depth (quick/standard/deep) and fall back to estimates if budget exceeded
  • Source market numbers (2+ sources preferred) and record date + confidence for every market figure
  • Classify competition with the defined index and allow competition to override priority rules
  • Prefer recent authoritative reports (Gartner, Statista) and mark older data with a warning

Example use cases

  • Run on an Epic before sprint planning to produce P0/P1 candidates for the next sprint
  • Produce a stakeholder-ready prioritization doc showing RICE, sources, and uncertainty ranges
  • Filter a subset of Stories (IDs provided) for focused market validation and prioritization
  • Use quick depth for rapid triage across many Stories, then deep research for top candidates
  • Feed P0/P1 Stories into downstream ln-300 task generation in priority order

FAQ

What inputs are required?

Provide the epic identifier (ID, "Epic N", or project URL). Optionally pass specific Story IDs and research depth (quick/standard/deep).

Where is the result saved?

The consolidated markdown is saved to docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md and contains the table, RICE details, sources, and next-step recommendations.