HIPE

Use it when you need a clear, data-driven way to rank features or experiments by impact, confidence, and effort.

What is it?

HIPE is a lightweight prioritization framework that scores your ideas across four dimensions: Hypothesis clarity, Impact, Probability of success, and Effort required.

By forcing teams to articulate a testable hypothesis (H), estimate the potential business lift (I), gauge their confidence in achieving it (P), and tally the resource cost (E), HIPE turns fuzzy gut calls into a repeatable ranking formula: (H×I×P)/E. It solves the classic problem of biased roadmaps and misaligned teams by creating a shared language and numeric score for every idea, features, experiments, and strategic bets.

Use HIPE to cut through opinions, highlight the highest-leverage work, and ensure every ticket you build has a clear why, what, and how much.

Why it matters?

By aligning teams around a single score, HIPE slashes debate time, surfaces the most impactful experiments, and minimizes wasted development cycles. That means faster learning loops, higher-ROI feature launches, and clearer roadmaps, key accelerators for retention, revenue, and sustainable scale.

How it works

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

Define your Hypothesis (H)

Write a one-sentence statement that links action to outcome. Clarity here prevents scope creep and ensures you know how you'll measure success.

Estimate Impact (I)

Score from 1–5 based on the expected lift, revenue, engagement, or retention. Use past benchmarks or team consensus to keep it realistic.

Assess Probability (P)

Rate your confidence (1–5) that the hypothesis will pan out given data, user research, or prototype tests. Low confidence flags a need for discovery work.

Calculate Effort (E)

Assign a 1–5 score for total resources, dev, design, analytics, required to ship and measure the outcome.

Compute and Rank

Apply (H×I×P)/E to each idea, then sort descending. Higher scores signal bigger wins per unit effort, so you build smarter, not harder.

Frequently asked questions

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

How is HIPE different from ICE or RICE?

HIPE starts with a clear hypothesis (H) and separates confidence (P) from impact (I), giving you a tighter feedback loop on your assumptions before you build. ICE skips hypothesis rigor; RICE swaps Confidence for Reach.

How is HIPE different from ICE or RICE?

Can I skip the Hypothesis step if I'm short on time?

No. Skipping H turns your roadmap into guesswork. Even a one-line hypothesis forces you to align on what you're solving and how you'll measure success.

Can I skip the Hypothesis step if I'm short on time?

No. Skipping H turns your roadmap into guesswork. Even a one-line hypothesis forces you to align on what you're solving and how you'll measure success.

What if my team scores effort differently?

Normalize by defining clear effort guidelines: e.g., 1=one sprint for a developer, 3=design+analytics work, 5=multiple teams. Calibration sessions before scoring keep everyone aligned.

What if my team scores effort differently?

Normalize by defining clear effort guidelines: e.g., 1=one sprint for a developer, 3=design+analytics work, 5=multiple teams. Calibration sessions before scoring keep everyone aligned.

Is HIPE only for A/B tests or also for new features?

Use HIPE for any initiative you need to prioritize, experiments, feature builds, marketing campaigns. The hypothesis and probability steps simply adjust based on context.

Is HIPE only for A/B tests or also for new features?

Use HIPE for any initiative you need to prioritize, experiments, feature builds, marketing campaigns. The hypothesis and probability steps simply adjust based on context.

How often should I recalculate HIPE scores?

Re-score quarterly or when you gather new user data. If your confidence or effort estimates shift, update the scores so your roadmap stays razor-sharp.

How often should I recalculate HIPE scores?

Re-score quarterly or when you gather new user data. If your confidence or effort estimates shift, update the scores so your roadmap stays razor-sharp.

You've ranked your top experiments with HIPE, now feed them into the CrackGrowth diagnostic to uncover hidden friction points and A/B test catalysts before you ship.

Get started for free