/feature-investment-advisor

name: feature-investment-advisor
description: Evaluate feature investments using revenue impact, cost structure, ROI, and strategy. Use when deciding whether a feature deserves investment.
intent: >-
  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.
type: interactive
best_for:
  - "Assessing whether a feature should be built now"
  - "Comparing ROI and strategic value of feature ideas"
  - "Pressure-testing roadmap requests with financial logic"
scenarios:
  - "Should we build SSO for mid-market customers this quarter?"
  - "Evaluate whether an AI assistant feature is worth the investment"
  - "Help me decide if this roadmap request has enough ROI to build"

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.

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)

3. **ROI Calculation** — Is the return worth the investment?

• Direct monetization: Revenue impact / Development cost
• Retention features: LTV impact across customer base / Development cost
• Factor in gross margin, not just revenue

4. **Strategic Value** — Non-financial value that might override pure ROI

• Competitive moat (prevents churn to competitor)
• Platform enabler (unlocks future features)
• Market positioning (needed for enterprise deals)
• Risk reduction (compliance, security)

Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)

• **Not feature scoring alone:** Combines financial analysis with strategic judgment
• **Not revenue-only thinking:** Considers margins, costs, and ROI, not just top-line revenue
• **Not ignoring retention:** Indirect revenue impact (churn reduction) is equally valid
• **Not building without validation:** Assumes you've done discovery; this is the financial lens

When to Use This Framework

**Use this when:**

• Prioritizing between features with quantifiable revenue/retention impact
• Evaluating expensive features (>1 engineer-month of work)
• Making build/buy/partner decisions
• Defending feature prioritization to stakeholders or leadership
• Choosing between direct monetization (add-on) vs. indirect (retention)

**Don't use this when:**

• Feature is table stakes (must-have for competitive parity)
• Impact is purely qualitative (brand, UX delight without measurable retention effect)
• You haven't validated the problem (do discovery first)
• Feature is < 1 week of work (just build it)

---

Facilitation Source of Truth

Use [`workshop-facilitation`](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision points
• quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include `Other (specify)` when useful)

This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.

Application

This interactive skill asks **up to 4 adaptive questions**, offering **3-5 enumerated options** at decision points.

---

Step 0: Gather Context

**Agent asks:**

"Let's evaluate the financial impact of this feature investment. Please provide:

**Feature description:**

• What's the feature? (1-2 sentences)
• Target customer segment (SMB, mid-market, enterprise, all)

**Current business context:**

• Current MRR/ARR (or customer count if pre-revenue)
• Current ARPU/ARPA
• Current monthly churn rate
• Gross margin %

**Constraints:**

• Development cost estimate (team size × time)
• Any ongoing COGS or OpEx implications?

You can provide estimates if you don't have exact numbers."

---

Step 1: Identify Revenue Connection

**Agent asks:**

"How does this feature impact revenue? Choose the option that best describes the revenue connection:

1. **Direct monetization (new revenue stream)** — We'll charge for this (new pricing tier, paid add-on, usage-based fee) 2. **Retention improvement (reduce churn)** — Addresses key churn reason; keeps customers from leaving 3. **Conversion improvement (trial-to-paid)** — Helps convert free/trial users to paid customers 4. **Expansion enabler (upsell/cross-sell)** — Creates upsell path or drives usage-based expansion 5. **No direct revenue impact** — Table stakes, platform improvement, or strategic value only

Choose a number, or describe a custom revenue connection."

**Based on selection, agent adapts:**

**If 1 (Direct monetization):**

• "What pricing are you considering?"
• "What % of customers do you expect to adopt this?" (conservative, base, optimistic)
• Calculate: