How to Create a Prioritization Matrix in Notion

Create a new Notion database called Initiatives with these properties: Initiative Name (title), Reach (number — how many users this impacts per quarter), Impact (select: 3-Massive, 2-High, 1-Medium, 0.5-Low, 0.25-Minimal), Confidence (select: 100%-High, 80%-Medium, 50%-Low), Effort (number — person-months to complete), Source (multi-select: customer-feedback, data, strategic, internal), and Status (select: proposed, scored, committed, in-progress, shipped).

• Use number fields for Reach and Effort so they can be used in formulas
• Use select fields for Impact and Confidence with the numeric values embedded in the option names
• Add a Description field (text) for a one-paragraph summary of what the initiative entails

Create a formula property called RICE Score that calculates (Reach * Impact * Confidence) / Effort. You will need to use Notion's formula syntax to extract the numeric value from the Impact and Confidence select fields. The resulting score provides a single comparable number for every initiative, normalizing the tradeoff between expected value and cost.

• Create the formula that multiplies Reach, Impact, and Confidence, then divides by Effort
• Handle edge cases: if Effort is 0 or empty, return 0 to avoid division errors
• Format the result to one decimal place for readability

Create a sorted table view called 'Priority Ranked' that shows all initiatives sorted by RICE Score descending. This is your default view — the top items are your highest-leverage bets. Create a second view called 'Quick Wins' filtered to Effort less than 1 person-month and sorted by RICE Score, so you can see easy wins that might fit into spare capacity between larger initiatives.

• Create the Priority Ranked view sorted by RICE Score descending with all scoring fields visible
• Create the Quick Wins view filtered to Effort less than or equal to 1 and sorted by RICE descending
• Create an 'Unscored' view filtered to items where any scoring field is empty so you can catch gaps

Scoring alone is not enough — you need the context that explains why each initiative scored the way it did. Add properties for Customer Evidence (relation to a customer feedback database or text field with key quotes), Data Source (URL to the analytics chart or research document), Strategic Alignment (select: core-metric, platform-bet, table-stakes, exploration), and Executive Sponsor (person field). These columns make prioritization decisions auditable.

• Add a Customer Evidence field linking to specific feedback entries or containing key quotes
• Include a Strategic Alignment field so you can filter for initiatives that serve your current strategic focus
• Add a 'Why This Score' text field where the PM briefly justifies the Reach and Impact estimates

In your quarterly or monthly prioritization meeting, pull up the Priority Ranked view. Walk through the top 10-15 initiatives, reviewing the RICE score and context for each. Challenge assumptions — does the Reach estimate account for the total addressable audience? Is the Confidence rating honest given what you know? Adjust scores live during the discussion and commit to the top initiatives that fit within your team's capacity.

• Present the ranked list to stakeholders and walk through the top-scored items first
• Challenge each Confidence rating — if it is 50% or lower, discuss whether to invest in research first
• Draw a capacity line on the list showing how many initiatives your team can realistically commit to

When initiatives are committed, change their status to 'committed' and link them to the corresponding project or epic in your execution tool. Create a 'Committed Roadmap' view filtered to committed and in-progress initiatives sorted by target quarter. Update the view as initiatives ship, adding actual outcome data (real Reach and Impact) so you can calibrate your scoring accuracy over time.

• Add a Relation field linking committed initiatives to their Linear or Jira epics
• Create a Committed Roadmap view grouped by target quarter showing only committed and in-progress items
• After each initiative ships, record the actual Reach and Impact to improve future estimation accuracy