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Module 06: Trigger Mapping

Lesson 8: Workshop 5 - Feature Impact

Saga Analyzes and Scores Your Features

Overview

Workshop 5 is where strategy becomes actionable roadmap. With your business goals, target groups, driving forces, and priorities established in Workshops 1-4, Saga now has everything needed to evaluate your features. Saga analyzes each feature against your top prioritized drivers and produces a complete scoring matrix automatically.

Duration: 15-20 minutes Format: Saga presents analysis, you review and discuss Output: Scored and ranked feature list with strategic justification

How It Works

1. You Provide the Feature List

Give Saga your feature ideas:

Ideas from Product Brief
Stakeholder requests
Competitive features
User feedback
Team suggestions

Aim for: 10-20 features for evaluation

2. Saga Does the Analysis

Saga evaluates each feature automatically:

Assesses how well each feature addresses your top 5-7 drivers
Applies consistent 0-3 scoring scale
Considers both direct and indirect impacts
Produces complete scoring matrix

Scoring scale Saga uses:

3 = Directly addresses this driver (core solution)
2 = Significantly helps with this driver
1 = Somewhat related to this driver
0 = Doesn't address this driver

3. Saga Presents the Results

You receive:

Complete scoring matrix showing all evaluations
Total scores for each feature
Initial roadmap prioritization
Strategic reasoning for each score

4. You Review and Discuss

Conversation-based refinement:

Saga explains surprising scores
You can challenge or question assessments
Saga adjusts based on your strategic judgment
Final roadmap emerges from discussion

How Saga Evaluates Features

During Analysis

Saga considers for each feature:

How directly does this address each prioritized driver?
Does this create gain or reduce pain for the persona?
What's the magnitude of impact on each driver?
Are there both direct and indirect benefits?
Which drivers get the strongest support?

Saga applies strategic thinking:

Traces features back to psychological drivers
Evaluates emotional impact, not just functionality
Considers both positive and negative drivers
Assesses strategic leverage across multiple drivers

During Review Discussion

Questions you might ask Saga:

"Why did [feature] score higher/lower than I expected?"
"Can you explain the reasoning behind this score?"
"What would make this feature score higher?"
"Are we missing features that would score better?"
"How would modifying this feature affect its scores?"

Saga's helpful prompts:

"I scored this low because it doesn't address your top drivers. Here's why..."
"This feature scored high across multiple drivers. Let me show you..."
"If we adjusted this feature like this, it could score higher..."
"Based on your drivers, here's a gap I'm seeing..."

Generic Example: Scoring Matrix

Context

Top 5 Prioritized Drivers (Remote Team Leads):

Fear of team burnout without noticing (NEGATIVE)
Want to demonstrate effective leadership (POSITIVE)
Fear of losing top performers (NEGATIVE)
Want to build strong team culture (POSITIVE)
Fear of missed deadlines (NEGATIVE)

Features to Score

Feature	Burnout Fear	Leadership	Retention	Culture	Deadlines	Total
Daily team pulse check	3	2	2	1	1	9
Team workload dashboard	3	2	2	0	2	9
Recognition system	1	1	2	3	0	7
1-on-1 scheduling assistant	2	2	1	1	0	6
Meeting summaries	0	1	0	1	2	4
Async video updates	1	1	0	2	0	4
Team chat	0	0	1	2	0	3

Detailed Scoring Example

Feature: Daily Team Pulse Check

Against "Fear of team burnout without noticing" (Score: 3)

Directly addresses the fear
Provides daily visibility into team health
Early warning system for burnout indicators
Core solution to the problem

Against "Want to demonstrate effective leadership" (Score: 2)

Provides data to show proactive management
Enables evidence-based leadership decisions
Significantly helps but not the primary purpose

Against "Fear of losing top performers" (Score: 2)

Early warning helps prevent burnout-driven turnover
Identifies at-risk team members
Significantly helps with retention

Against "Want to build strong team culture" (Score: 1)

Shows you care about team wellbeing
Somewhat related but not primary benefit

Against "Fear of missed deadlines" (Score: 1)

Can identify capacity issues early
Somewhat helps but not main purpose

Total: 9 points (Highest strategic impact)

Feature: Team Chat

Against "Fear of team burnout" (Score: 0)

Doesn't address burnout visibility
No impact on this driver

Against "Want to demonstrate leadership" (Score: 0)

Doesn't provide leadership insights
No impact on this driver

Against "Fear of losing performers" (Score: 1)

Helps with connection (minor retention factor)
Somewhat related

Against "Want to build team culture" (Score: 2)

Enables team connection
Significantly helps with culture

Against "Fear of missed deadlines" (Score: 0)

Doesn't address deadline management
No impact on this driver

Total: 3 points (Low strategic impact for this persona)

Prioritized Roadmap

Based on scores, create phases:

Phase 1: Highest Impact (8-10 points)

Daily team pulse check (9)
Team workload dashboard (9)

Why first: Directly address top fears, highest strategic value

Phase 2: High Impact (6-7 points)

Recognition system (7)
1-on-1 scheduling assistant (6)

Why second: Good strategic value, support top priorities

Phase 3: Medium Impact (4-5 points)

Meeting summaries (4)
Async video updates (4)

Why third: Some value but lower priority

Backlog: Low Impact (0-3 points)

Team chat (3)

Why backlog: Doesn't address top strategic drivers for this persona

Why Saga's Analysis Works Better

It's Consistently Strategic

Saga evaluates with perfect traceability:

Every score connects to a prioritized driver
Every driver traces to a target group
Every group connects to a business goal

Not arbitrary - complete strategic chain for every decision

It's Unbiased and Objective

Without Saga (traditional approach): "I think Feature A is more important" (opinion-based, political)

With Saga's analysis: "Feature A scores 9, Feature B scores 4 because..." (data-driven, defensible)

Saga doesn't have pet features or political pressures

It's Fast and Thorough

Manual scoring:

Takes hours with spreadsheets
Easy to miss connections
Inconsistent application of criteria
Tedious and error-prone

Saga's automated analysis:

Complete matrix in minutes
Considers all driver relationships
Consistent scoring methodology
You focus on strategic discussion, not data entry

It's Defensible to Stakeholders

When asked "Why aren't we building Feature X?"

Saga's analysis provides:

The complete Trigger Map context
Top prioritized drivers from Workshop 4
Detailed scoring matrix with reasoning
Feature X's lower strategic impact shown clearly

Strategic reasoning backed by systematic analysis

It's Adaptable

When priorities shift:

Update driver rankings in Saga
Saga re-analyzes all features instantly
New roadmap emerges automatically
No manual re-scoring needed

Strategy drives features, with Saga maintaining consistency

How Saga Scores (And How You Review)

Saga's Scoring Principles

Saga evaluates objectively:

No pet features or political bias
Based purely on strategic fit to drivers
Applies consistent methodology across all features
Some features will naturally score low - that's valuable data

Saga is specific:

Links each score to concrete driver impact
Explains HOW a feature addresses (or doesn't address) each driver
Provides reasoning you can challenge or validate

Your Role: Strategic Validation

When reviewing Saga's scores:

Challenge assessments that feel wrong
Provide context Saga might have missed
Explain strategic factors not yet captured
Confirm or adjust based on your domain knowledge

Example exchange:

You: "I'm surprised the chat feature scored so low." Saga: "It scored 3 total because it only addresses 'build team culture' (score: 2) and retention (score: 1), but doesn't impact your top three drivers: burnout visibility, leadership demonstration, or deadline concerns. Should we reconsider its strategic fit?"

Understanding the Scale

How Saga uses 0-3:

3 = Rare - only core solutions to that specific driver
2 = Significant help, clear connection
1 = Some relationship, indirect benefit
0 = Common - not every feature addresses every driver

Most scores land at 0-2, which is healthy

Positive and Negative Drivers

Saga evaluates both:

Negative drivers: Does this reduce pain or prevent fears?
Positive drivers: Does this enable goals or create gains?
High-impact features often address both types

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: High Scores Across Multiple Drivers

What it means: High-leverage feature addressing multiple needs

Example: Daily pulse check scores high on burnout fear, leadership goals, retention fear

Action: Prioritize - strategically valuable

Pattern 2: High Score on Top Driver Only

What it means: Laser-focused solution for most important need

Example: Workload balancing scores 3 on burnout fear, low on others

Action: Still high priority if that driver is #1

Pattern 3: Moderate Scores Across Many

What it means: Nice-to-have that helps a bit with everything

Example: Team chat scores 1-2 on multiple drivers

Action: Lower priority - not solving urgent problems

Pattern 4: Low Scores Everywhere

What it means: Feature doesn't connect to strategy

Example: Fancy animations score 0-1 across all drivers

Action: Cut it or deprioritize significantly

Beyond the Numbers: The Review Discussion

Why the Conversation Matters

Reviewing Saga's analysis reveals insights:

When you ask: "Why doesn't this feature score higher?" → Saga shows the strategic gap clearly → You might modify the feature to increase impact → Or you accept it's not strategically aligned right now

When you ask: "Are we missing features that would score higher?" → Saga analyzes the driver coverage → Identifies gaps in your feature set → Suggests feature concepts that would address unmet drivers

When you ask: "This score doesn't match my intuition. Why?" → Either your strategy needs refinement → Or Saga missed context you can provide → The discussion sharpens your strategic clarity

The analysis is data. The discussion creates wisdom.

Combining Strategic Impact with Other Factors

Saga's scores = Strategic value (from Trigger Map)

You also consider:

Feasibility: How hard to build?
Dependencies: What's required first?
Market timing: Competitive urgency?
Resources: Do we have capacity?

Combined decision formula:

Priority = (Saga's Strategic Impact × Feasibility) + Urgency Factors

High strategic impact + easy to build = Phase 1 High strategic impact + hard to build = Phased approach Low strategic impact (regardless of ease) = Backlog or cut

What You Get from Workshop 5

✅ Complete scoring matrix - Saga's systematic evaluation of every feature against every driver ✅ Ranked roadmap - Clear, data-driven prioritization ready to execute ✅ Strategic justification - Defensible reasoning for every decision ✅ Objective analysis - Saga's unbiased evaluation, no political pressure ✅ Perfect traceability - Feature → Driver → Group → Goal (complete chain) ✅ Time saved - Minutes instead of hours of manual spreadsheet work ✅ Strategic clarity - Discussion reveals insights you wouldn't see alone

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Not Providing Enough Context

Problem: Giving Saga feature names without explaining what they do Why it fails: Saga can't evaluate strategic fit without understanding the feature Fix: Briefly explain each feature's purpose and how it works

Mistake 2: Not Challenging Scores You Disagree With

Problem: Accepting Saga's analysis without discussion Why it fails: Misses opportunities to refine strategic thinking Fix: Question surprising scores - the discussion reveals insights

Mistake 3: Overriding Scores for Political Reasons

Problem: "Boss wants Feature X, let's bump it up" Why it fails: Defeats the purpose of strategic analysis Fix: Use Saga's objective analysis to have strategic conversations with stakeholders

Mistake 4: Analyzing Too Many Features at Once

Problem: Trying to score 50+ features in one session Why it fails: Analysis fatigue, loses strategic focus Fix: Start with 10-20 most viable features, expand later

Mistake 5: Ignoring Low-Scoring Features

Problem: "But we still need to build it even though it scored low" Why it fails: Wastes resources on strategically misaligned features Fix: Accept that low scores mean deprioritize or cut - that's valuable clarity

Mistake 6: Never Re-Running the Analysis

Problem: Using stale scores as strategy evolves Why it fails: Roadmap doesn't reflect current priorities Fix: Re-run Saga's analysis when priorities shift (takes minutes, not hours)

Mistake 7: Forgetting Feasibility

Problem: Prioritizing impossible or extremely difficult features Why it fails: Can't actually execute the roadmap Fix: Combine Saga's strategic scores with feasibility assessment

Using Saga's Scored Feature List

For Sprint Planning

Each sprint:

Reference Saga's scored list
Focus on highest-impact features first
Validate decisions against the Trigger Map
Make trade-offs based on strategic data, not opinions

When questioned: "Why are we building this instead of that?" → Show Saga's scoring matrix

For Stakeholder Communication

When presenting roadmap:

Show the Trigger Map (strategic foundation)
Show Saga's scoring matrix (systematic analysis)
Show the prioritized list (data-driven roadmap)
Walk through the strategic reasoning

Stakeholders respond well to:

Clear, systematic methodology
Traceable decisions (not "because I think so")
Strategic foundation (connects to business goals)
Objective analysis (Saga's unbiased evaluation)

You have strategic armor against political pressure

For Design Decisions

When Freya starts design work:

She references Saga's scored list
Focuses on high-impact features first
Understands which drivers each feature must address
Validates design decisions against the scoring

Example conversation with Freya:

"We're designing the pulse check (Saga scored it 9). It addresses 'fear of burnout' (score: 3), so it needs early warning indicators and actionable suggestions. That's what makes it high-impact."

Design decisions trace back to psychological drivers through Saga's analysis

The Complete Chain

Now you have the full Trigger Mapping system:

Workshop 1: Business Goals (Vision + Objectives)
    ↓
Workshop 2: Target Groups (3-5 prioritized personas)
    ↓
Workshop 3: Driving Forces (positive + negative for each)
    ↓
Workshop 4: Prioritization (ranked groups and drivers)
    ↓
Workshop 5: Feature Impact (scored feature list)
    ↓
Strategic Roadmap (data-driven priorities)

Every feature traces back to:

A psychological driver
A target group
A business goal

No orphaned features. No guesswork. Strategic clarity.

What's Next

You're ready to create your own Trigger Map. The tutorial walks through all 5 workshops step by step with Saga, and the next lessons cover how to create and use the visual Trigger Map.

Key Takeaways

✅ Saga does the analytical work - You provide features, Saga evaluates them systematically ✅ Automated scoring matrix - Complete in minutes, not hours of manual work ✅ Objective and unbiased - Saga has no pet features or political pressures ✅ Discussion-based refinement - Review, challenge, validate, and adjust together ✅ Strategically defensible - Every decision traces through the complete chain ✅ Instantly updateable - When priorities shift, Saga re-analyzes in minutes ✅ Conversation reveals insights - The review discussion sharpens strategic thinking ✅ Perfect traceability - Feature → Driver → Group → Goal (maintained by Saga)

← Back to Module Overview | ← Back to Lesson 7 | Next: Lesson 9 - Positive & Negative Drivers →

Part of Module 06: Trigger Mapping

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