Planit — Backlog Prioritization
DAU growth has slowed from 8% to 2% month-over-month over the past 3 months.
The scenario
Planit is a task management app for freelancers. Growth has stalled. The 5 candidate features are: (A) calendar sync, (B) client invoice generation, (C) time tracking, (D) recurring tasks, (E) mobile widget. Each is estimated at 6–8 weeks for 1 engineer.
Constraint
1 engineer available, 8-week window — you must pick exactly 1 feature from a shortlist of 5.
Your task
Prioritize which feature to build and justify your choice to the team.
1. Clarify: What do you need to know before prioritizing?
Pick the 3 questions you'd ask first.
Model approach (strong picks)
- Strong pickWhy is DAU growth slowing — is it an acquisition problem, activation problem, or retention problem?
- Strong pickWhich of these features are users most frequently requesting — do we have support tickets or survey data?
- Strong pickWhat is the primary reason users churn — do we know from exit surveys or support?
2. Hypothesize: Which feature is most likely to reverse the growth slowdown?
Pick the 3 features worth seriously evaluating.
Model approach (strong picks)
- Strong pickClient invoice generation — directly tied to the freelancer's revenue, high stickiness, potential for a paid tier.
- Strong pickTime tracking — core to freelancer billing workflow, pairs with invoicing, creates daily habit.
- Strong pickRecurring tasks — reduces friction for repeat work, drives daily engagement, relatively straightforward to build.
3. Investigate: How do you validate your pick before committing?
Pick the 3 highest-leverage validation moves.
Model approach (strong picks)
- Strong pickAnalyze churn cohorts — do users who churn in month 1 cite a missing feature, and which one?
- Strong pickCount feature requests in support tickets, NPS verbatims, and app store reviews — rank by frequency.
- Strong pickTalk to 5 churned users this week — ask what would have kept them and what they use instead.
4. Propose: Which feature do you build in the 8-week window?
Pick the one feature you'd commit to.
Model approach (strong picks)
- Strong pickClient invoice generation — highest direct value to the freelancer's core job (getting paid), strongest retention driver, and opens a monetization path.
- Strong pickTime tracking — foundational to the billing workflow, creates a daily-use habit, and pairs naturally with invoicing as the next build.