--- name: ecosystem-roadmap-prioritization-framework description: "Scores and sequences platform ecosystem investments across developer tooling, third-party integrations, and marketplace dimensions using a weighted RICE-plus-strategic-fit model, then produces a 3-horizon roadmap with dependency mapping, resourcing flags, and a kill/defer list. Use when prioritizing competing ecosystem bets, building a developer platform roadmap, defending investment sequencing to leadership, or deciding which integrations and tooling to build next quarter." argument-hint: "[ecosystem-initiatives] [strategic-goal]" allowed-tools: ["Read"] --- # Ecosystem Roadmap Prioritization Framework ## Purpose Turn a messy backlog of ecosystem bets — SDKs, APIs, integrations, marketplace features, partner programs — into a defensible, scored, and sequenced roadmap across three time horizons. Solves the problem of ecosystem teams over-indexing on the loudest partner request or the shiniest tooling project instead of the investments that compound platform value. ## When to Use Invoke this skill when the user asks to: - Prioritize or sequence competing ecosystem investments for the next quarter or year - Decide which integrations, connectors, or partner builds to fund first - Build a developer platform or ecosystem roadmap from a backlog - Justify investment sequencing to leadership or a steering committee - Compare developer tooling work against marketplace or integration work on a common scale - Cut a bloated ecosystem backlog down to a fundable shortlist ## Inputs Required Before starting, collect: - **Initiative list**: The candidate ecosystem investments (rough names + 1-line description each) - **Strategic goal**: The platform's primary objective this period (e.g., grow active developers, increase integration depth, expand marketplace GMV) - **Time horizon**: Planning window — quarter, half, or year - **Team capacity**: Approximate engineering capacity available (headcount or eng-weeks) - **Known constraints**: Hard dependencies, compliance blockers, partner commitments, or deadlines - **Adoption signals**: Any data on demand — partner requests, support tickets, developer survey themes, integration pull requests - **Investment categories in play**: Which dimensions apply — developer tooling, integrations, marketplace, or all three If team capacity or adoption signals are missing, score qualitatively and flag the assumption in the output. ## Instructions ### Step 1: Normalize the Backlog Restate each initiative in a consistent format: **[Verb] [object] for [audience]** (e.g., "Ship TypeScript SDK for third-party developers"). Tag each with its primary dimension: - **Developer Tooling**: SDKs, CLIs, docs, sandboxes, API improvements, DX - **Integrations**: Connectors, webhooks, partner APIs, data sync - **Marketplace**: Listing flow, discovery, revenue share, partner onboarding, governance If an initiative spans dimensions, assign the dominant one and note the secondary. ### Step 2: Score Each Initiative on the Weighted Model Score every initiative across six factors on a 1–5 scale. The model is RICE adapted for ecosystem dynamics: - **Reach (R)**: How many developers/partners/end-users does this touch? 1 = niche, 5 = broad platform-wide - **Impact on Strategic Goal (I)**: How directly does this advance the stated strategic goal? 1 = tangential, 5 = core lever - **Ecosystem Compounding (E)**: Does this make *future* ecosystem work easier or unlock other initiatives? 1 = one-off, 5 = foundational platform primitive - **Confidence (C)**: How sure are we in the Reach/Impact estimates given the data? 1 = guess, 5 = validated by signals - **Adoption Demand (D)**: Strength of pull from the market — requests, tickets, partner asks. 1 = no signal, 5 = loud and repeated - **Effort (F)**: Eng cost. 1 = quarters of work, 5 = days. (Inverted so higher = cheaper.) **Weighted Priority Score** = (R×1) + (I×2) + (E×2) + (C×1) + (D×1.5) + (F×1) Impact and Compounding are double-weighted because ecosystem value is driven by leverage, not volume. Show the math per initiative in a table. ### Step 3: Apply the Strategic-Fit Overlay Independent of raw score, flag each initiative: - **Table Stakes**: Required to remain credible (e.g., basic OAuth, core SDK). Cannot be deferred regardless of score. - **Differentiator**: Creates a moat or pulls partners away from competitors. - **Bet**: High-uncertainty, high-upside — fund deliberately, not by default. - **Nice-to-Have**: Real but non-urgent value. A high-scoring Nice-to-Have can outrank a low-scoring Table Stake only after the Table Stake is funded. ### Step 4: Map Dependencies and Sequencing Constraints For each top initiative, identify: - **Hard prerequisites**: What must ship first (e.g., "Marketplace revenue share requires billing API") - **Unlocks**: What this enables downstream - **Shared infrastructure**: Where two initiatives compete for or share the same foundational work Surface any case where a lower-priority initiative is a blocking prerequisite for a higher-priority one — those get pulled forward. ### Step 5: Build the 3-Horizon Roadmap Sequence funded initiatives into horizons, respecting capacity and dependencies: - **Now (this horizon)**: Highest-scored Table Stakes + Differentiators that fit capacity and have no blocking dependencies - **Next**: Initiatives unlocked once Now-items ship; Bets with validated confidence - **Later**: Lower-confidence Bets, deferred Nice-to-Haves, initiatives awaiting more adoption signal Each horizon must respect the stated team capacity — call out when the Now horizon is over-subscribed and what gets bumped. ### Step 6: Produce the Kill/Defer List Explicitly name initiatives that should **not** be funded this cycle, with a one-line reason each (low compounding, no demand signal, blocked dependency, or insufficient confidence). Being opinionated here is the point — an unfiltered roadmap isn't a roadmap. ## Output Format - **Structure**: Scoring table → strategic-fit overlay → dependency map → 3-horizon roadmap → kill/defer list - **Length**: 1,000–1,400 words - **Format**: Scoring presented as a table; horizons as grouped lists with rationale; dependencies as a short structured map - **Sections**: Normalized backlog → Weighted scoring table → Strategic-fit tags → Dependency & sequencing map → Now/Next/Later roadmap → Kill/Defer list → One-paragraph recommendation - **Tone**: Platform PM / EM — analytical, decisive, leadership-ready. No hedging on the final sequence. ## Quality Checklist Before delivering output, verify: - [ ] Every initiative has all six factor scores and a computed Weighted Priority Score (show the arithmetic) - [ ] Impact and Ecosystem Compounding are double-weighted in the formula - [ ] Each initiative carries a strategic-fit tag (Table Stakes / Differentiator / Bet / Nice-to-Have) - [ ] Any prerequisite that blocks a higher-priority item is pulled forward and noted - [ ] The Now horizon respects stated team capacity, with bumped items called out if over-subscribed - [ ] The kill/defer list names at least one initiative with a specific reason — not empty ## Notes - The most common error is funding loud partner requests (high Demand) that have low Compounding — the model surfaces these as Nice-to-Haves to defer. - Foundational tooling (auth, SDK, billing primitives) almost always scores high on Compounding and unlocks integration and marketplace work downstream — sequence it early even when its standalone Demand looks modest. - When capacity data is absent, deliver the full scored roadmap but mark horizon boundaries as "capacity TBD" rather than inventing headcount. --- ## How to use this skill This file is a Claude Code skill in [Anthropic's standard format](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills) — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top. **Installing in Claude Code:** - `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` — auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects) - `/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` — auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills) Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register. **Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:** 1. 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