Feature Investment Advisor

Purpose

Guide product managers through evaluating whether to build a feature based on financial impact analysis. Use this to make data-driven prioritization decisions by assessing revenue connection (direct or indirect), cost structure (dev + COGS + OpEx), ROI calculation, and strategic value, then deliver actionable build/don't build recommendations with supporting math.

This is not a generic prioritization framework, it's a financial lens for feature decisions that complements other prioritization methods (RICE, value vs. effort, user research). Use when financial impact is a key decision factor.

Input

Works best with: The feature you're deciding on, in a sentence or two. Also useful: Revenue connection (direct or indirect), rough cost inputs (dev time, COGS, ongoing OpEx), and the strategic argument being made for it.

Anything supplied with the invocation itself, text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line, counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.

Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The advisor opens by asking what the feature is and how it's supposed to make or save money.

Example invocation: Should we build SSO/SAML? Enterprise deals keep stalling on it; est. 2 engineer-months plus ongoing support burden.

Key Concepts

The Feature Investment Framework

A systematic approach to evaluate features financially:

1. Revenue Connection, How does this feature impact revenue?

   • Direct monetization (new tier, add-on, usage charges)
   • Indirect monetization (retention, conversion, expansion enablement)

2. Cost Structure, What does it cost to build and run?

   • Development cost (one-time investment)
   • COGS impact (ongoing infrastructure, processing)
   • OpEx impact (ongoing support, maintenance)