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RICE framework · Free calculator

RICE prioritization: Intercom formula and Hypotize calculator

Calculate Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort using Intercom's documented units, then compare it with Hypotize's current 1–10 input scale and its former normalized variant.

What it is and where it came from

A relative ranking tool, not an automatic decision

Intercom developed RICE to compare product ideas using four explicit factors: Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. Reach is counted per period, Impact uses a defined multiplier, Confidence is a percentage, and Effort is measured in person-months.

Source: Intercom: RICE, simple prioritization for product managers

Dimensions

What each letter must make explicit

Reach

How many people or events the initiative will affect in a defined period.

Guardrail: State the unit and period, such as customers per quarter.

Impact

Expected effect per person reached.

Guardrail: Intercom uses defined multipliers; Hypotize uses a relative 1–10 score.

Confidence

How strongly the estimates are supported.

Guardrail: Intercom expresses this as a percentage; Hypotize uses 1–10.

Effort

Total work required across the people involved.

Guardrail: Intercom uses person-months; Hypotize uses a relative 1–10 effort score.

Formula disclosure

Documented method and Hypotize method

Source method

(Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort

Hypotize

(Reach × Impact × Confidence) ÷ Effort

The algebra is now the same, but the units are not. Intercom uses a count for Reach, multipliers such as 0.25–3 for Impact, a percentage for Confidence, and person-months for Effort. Hypotize currently asks for all four dimensions on a 1–10 scale, so its score is comparable inside that rubric, not numerically interchangeable with an Intercom-style score.

Deterministic · No account required

Compare both calculations

Inputs stay in this browser. Nothing is sent to Hypotize by this calculator.

Documented source units

People or events per period

Intercom multiplier, usually 0.25–3

Percentage, 0–100

Person-months

Intercom-style score

640

Hypotize input scale

Hypotize input, 1–10

Hypotize input, 1–10

Hypotize input, 1–10

Hypotize input, 1–10

Hypotize score

112

Worked example

One experiment, reproducible arithmetic

An Intercom-style estimate of Reach 800, Impact 2, Confidence 80%, and Effort 2 person-months scores 640. The same idea expressed on Hypotize's relative scale as 8, 7, 6, and 3 scores 112. The numbers should not be compared across the two unit systems.

Decision rules

When to use RICE, and when not to

Use it when

  • Reach differs materially across initiatives.
  • You can estimate effort in a consistent unit.
  • The team needs to expose confidence and scale assumptions.

Do not let it decide when

  • Reach cannot be measured in a consistent period.
  • Small score differences would create false precision.
  • Dependencies, obligations, or strategic sequencing determine priority.

Common input failures

  • Large reach estimates can dominate weak evidence.
  • Confidence percentages look precise even when they are judgment calls.
  • Effort estimates omit coordination or future maintenance.

Product behavior

Exactly what Hypotize does

Hypotize now uses the same multiplication-and-division structure as Intercom, with 1–10 inputs and a possible 0.1–1000 range. Until 28 August 2026 it used the normalized variant Avg(Reach, Impact, Confidence) × (11 − Effort) ÷ 10. Existing pages must not describe that former variant as canonical. The current MCP connector has no dedicated RICE vote tool.

A score is one field in the experiment record. It does not execute a test, prove a hypothesis, or replace owner, state, evidence, outcome, learning, and next step.

Choose the right lens

The same pricing experiment in three rubrics

FrameworkExample inputsHypotize resultBest question
ICE8, 6, 77.00What is impactful, evidenced, and easy?
PIE8, 7, 67.00Which conversion opportunity matters?
RICE8, 7, 6, 3112.00How much impact per unit of effort?

Keep the context

A score is useful when its reasoning survives

Read the experiment memory guideReview MCP boundariesICE guidePIE guideOpen the web app

Reviewed 29 August 2026. Source links identify the documented method; product behavior is derived from the current Hypotize framework configuration and calculator implementation.