A feature request is a suggestion from a user, customer, or internal stakeholder for a new feature, functionality, or improvement to a product.
Importance of feature requests
- Source of Ideas: Provides valuable input for new product capabilities and enhancements.
- User Insight: Offers direct insight into user needs, pain points, and desires.
- Engagement Indicator: Shows that users are invested in the product and its evolution.
Challenges with feature requests
- Volume: Can be overwhelming, especially for popular products.
- Conflicting Ideas: Requests may contradict each other or the product vision.
- Bias: Internal requests might overshadow external user needs.
- Feasibility: Not all requests are technically feasible or strategically sound.
Managing feature requests
- Collection: Establish clear channels for submitting requests (e.g., feedback portal, support tickets, dedicated forms).
- Organization: Centralize requests in a single system (often integrated with or part of the product backlog).
- Review & Clarification: Understand the underlying need behind the request. What problem is the user trying to solve?
- Prioritization: Evaluate requests based on criteria like strategic alignment, user value, market opportunity, effort, and frequency.
- Communication: Keep stakeholders informed about the status of their requests (e.g., received, under review, planned, not planned).
Prioritization frameworks
Frameworks like MoSCoW, RICE, Kano Model, or simple value vs. effort matrices can help objectively prioritize requests.
Effectively managing feature requests involves balancing user desires with business strategy, technical constraints, and resource availability to continuously improve the product.
