Now / next / never
Triage a roadmap the way you actually do it — sort each feature into Now, Next, or Never against a fixed quarter of capacity, planning on the tidy estimates on the slide. Then reveal the iceberg under each estimate: the real cost that blows your Now list past capacity, and the value that actually ships versus what you promised. Runs entirely in your browser (0 uploads, works offline).
How to use it
- For each roadmap item, pick a lane — Now, Next, or Never — watching the estimated weeks you've loaded into Now against the quarter's capacity.
- Hit Reveal the real costs — every estimate's hidden multiplier appears, and your Now list's true weeks with it.
- Read the X-ray: how far over capacity your plan really runs, how much of your promised value actually ships, and which item's iceberg was deepest.
What this clears up (the fundamentals)
- Estimates are the tip, not the berg — the number on the slide is the visible part; the real cost is that estimate times all the unknowns nobody priced in (integration, edge cases, review, rework).
- Over-stuffed quarters ship less, not more — when real costs exceed capacity, items don't compress; they slip. A Now list that fits the estimates almost never fits reality.
- Triage is a capacity decision, not a wish list — "Now" should be short enough to survive its icebergs. Planning against real capacity beats planning against optimistic estimates every time.
- Value promised ≠ value delivered — the gap between what you put in Now and what actually ships is the cost of estimating on the tip of the iceberg.
Where it's used
A prioritisation drill for PMs and founders — a fast way to feel why roadmaps overrun and why ruthless Now-lists win. It's a miatz build-lab concept playable; learn to build it yourself.
FAQ
What's the "iceberg"?
A hidden multiplier on each item's estimate representing everything the tidy number leaves out. Real cost = estimate × iceberg. You plan on the estimate; you pay the real cost.
How is the "delivered value" computed?
Your Now items are worked in order against the real capacity: each ships only if its real cost still fits under the quarter's weeks. Anything that no longer fits slips — so the value delivered can be far below what you promised by loading Now.
What does the efficiency score mean?
It compares the value you actually delivered to the best value any plan could have delivered within the real capacity. A low score means either you over-committed (and items slipped) or under-loaded (and left capacity unused).
Is anything uploaded?
No. The deck, your choices and the scoring all run in your browser — nothing is transmitted or stored. Turn off your Wi-Fi and it still works.
Limits
A teaching model with fixed per-item icebergs and independent items — real roadmaps have shared dependencies, partial delivery, and correlated risk. Use it to build the "plan against real capacity" instinct, then bring your own estimates and risk factors.
Related
Part of the Demystify Playgrounds. Explore the rest from the Playgrounds home.
Bookmark this page (Ctrl+D, or ⌘D on Mac) — it works offline the next time you need it.