Buy-a-Feature

Use it when you need rapid, stakeholder-driven feature prioritization under resource constraints.

What is it?

Buy-a-Feature is a collaborative prioritization workshop that turns stakeholders into mock investors, aligning feature development with real business value.

You present a curated list of potential features, assign each a price tag based on estimated effort or impact, and give participants a limited budget of tokens or play money. Stakeholders “buy” the features they value most, revealing their true priorities and trade-offs. This approach surfaces consensus, highlights high-impact ideas, and captures budget realities in one session.

By quantifying feature value and forcing budget constraints, Buy-a-Feature cuts through politics and guesswork, turning prioritization into a transparent, data-backed decision exercise. It's perfect for product teams, executives, and cross-functional groups who struggle to agree on what to build next.

Why it matters?

When you turn prioritization into an investment game, you force real commitment to features before you build anything. Buy-a-Feature drives faster alignment, reduces wasted dev hours on low-value work, and surfaces hidden biases. That means you ship higher-impact features sooner, accelerate time-to-value, and boost ROI for every sprint.

How it works

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

Prepare features and prices

List 8–15 candidate features, estimate relative effort or impact, then assign each a price in tokens or dollars, a higher price signals more complexity or value.

Allocate budgets

Give each participant (or team) an equal budget of tokens. Keep budgets tight to force trade-offs and reveal true priorities.

Stakeholders buy features

Participants spend tokens to 'purchase' features they deem most valuable. They can pool budgets for group buys or go solo if budgets allow.

Tally and visualize results

Count token totals per feature and display a ranked list. High-spend items are top priorities; low-spend ones get re-evaluated or dropped.

Debrief and align

Discuss why certain features attracted more investment, address discrepancies, and finalize a prioritized roadmap with clear next steps.

Frequently asked questions

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

How many features should I include in Buy-a-Feature?

Aim for 8–15 options. Too few features limits trade-offs; too many overwhelms participants. Keep the list focused on your highest-impact candidates.

How many features should I include in Buy-a-Feature?

Aim for 8–15 options. Too few features limits trade-offs; too many overwhelms participants. Keep the list focused on your highest-impact candidates.

What's the best way to price features?

Use relative sizing, assign more tokens to complex or high-effort items and fewer to quick wins. Stick to simple price tiers (e.g., 5, 10, 20 tokens) to avoid analysis paralysis.

What's the best way to price features?

Use relative sizing, assign more tokens to complex or high-effort items and fewer to quick wins. Stick to simple price tiers (e.g., 5, 10, 20 tokens) to avoid analysis paralysis.

Who should participate in the workshop?

Include key stakeholders: product, design, engineering leads, sales or customer success reps, and a few users if possible. A cross-functional group ensures balanced perspectives and buy-in.

Who should participate in the workshop?

Include key stakeholders: product, design, engineering leads, sales or customer success reps, and a few users if possible. A cross-functional group ensures balanced perspectives and buy-in.

Can I run Buy-a-Feature remotely?

Absolutely. Use digital whiteboard tools and virtual tokens or polling apps. Ensure clear instructions, set a timer, and keep the session interactive to maintain engagement.

Can I run Buy-a-Feature remotely?

Absolutely. Use digital whiteboard tools and virtual tokens or polling apps. Ensure clear instructions, set a timer, and keep the session interactive to maintain engagement.

What if budgets aren't fully spent?

Leftover budgets indicate undervalued features or unrealistic pricing. You can run a second round with adjusted prices or facilitate a guided discussion to nail down the final priorities.

What if budgets aren't fully spent?

Leftover budgets indicate undervalued features or unrealistic pricing. You can run a second round with adjusted prices or facilitate a guided discussion to nail down the final priorities.

You've got a stakeholder-backed roadmap from Buy-a-Feature, now run it through the CrackGrowth diagnostic to uncover hidden UX friction and optimize each feature's first 5 minutes of user experience.

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