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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 typestandard- 5-7 min/Story, 2-3 WebSearches per typedeep- 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 {current_year}" | | 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:
-
Parse Epic input:
- Accept: Epic ID, "Epic N", or Linear Project URL
- Query:
get_project(query=epic) - Extract: Epic ID, title, description
-
Auto-discover configuration:
- Read
docs/tasks/kanban_board.mdfor Team ID - Slugify Epic title for output path
- Read
-
Check existing prioritization:
Glob: docs/market/[epic-slug]/prioritization.md- If exists: Ask "Update existing or create new?"
- If new: Continue
-
Create output directory:
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:
-
Query Stories from Epic:
list_issues(project=Epic.id, label="user-story") -
Extract metadata only:
- Story ID, title, status
- DO NOT load full descriptions yet
-
Filter Stories:
- Exclude: Done, Cancelled, Archived
- Include: Backlog, Todo, In Progress
-
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 {current_year}"
"[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 {current_year}"
"[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:
-
Sort results:
- Primary: Priority (P0 → P3)
- Secondary: RICE score (descending)
-
Generate markdown:
- Use template from references/prioritization_template.md
- Fill: Priority Summary, Main Table, RICE Details, Sources
-
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
- Source all data - Every Market number needs source + date
- Prefer recent data - last 2 years, warn if older
- Cross-reference - 2+ sources for Market size (reduce error)
- Time-box strictly - Skip depth for speed if needed
- Confidence levels - Mark High/Medium/Low for estimates
- No speculation - Only sourced claims, note "[No data]" gaps
- One Story at a time - Token efficiency critical
- 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 | 3 | | P0 | "Can't translate PDF" | PDF Support | PDF parsing + layout | Enterprise blocker | High | $10B+ | Eden | 5 | | P1 | "Need video subtitles" | SRT/VTT Support | Timing preservation | Blue Ocean opportunity | Medium | $5.7B | GMI | 2 |
Reference Files
| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | prioritization_template.md | Output markdown template | | rice_scoring_guide.md | RICE factor scales and examples | | research_queries.md | WebSearch query templates by domain | | competition_index.md | Blue/Red Ocean classification rules |
Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-12-23