Every backlog item in Pilea gets a priority score - a number from 0 to 100 that tells you which items deserve attention first. The score is computed automatically from your customer data, not from gut feeling or whoever complained loudest.

This article explains what goes into the score, what it means, and how to use it in your prioritization decisions.

The priority score combines multiple customer signals into a single 0-100 number. A higher score means stronger overall customer signal, more customers asking for it, larger deal sizes attached, more recent mentions, and more negative sentiment.

A score of 85 means the item scores strongly across the factors that matter. It doesn't mean "urgent" or "do this first". It means the data behind this item is compelling compared to the rest of your backlog.

Scores are relative to your workspace. Each signal is measured against the highest value in your active backlog. If your largest customer mentions an item, that item scores high on the revenue signal, but so would any item mentioned by customers of similar size. Archived and completed items are excluded, so scores only reflect what's actively in play.

[SCREENSHOT: Backlog page showing multiple items with priority score bars of varying heights]

ℹ️ Note: The score is a starting point for prioritization, not the final answer. It surfaces patterns your team could miss manually, but the human still decides what to build.

The priority score combines six signals from your customer data. Each signal captures a different dimension of why an item matters.

The weights reflect a "protect revenue, respect breadth, trust volume" approach. These are defaults - you can adjust every weight in Settings > Workspace > Priority scoring to match your business model.

[SCREENSHOT: Priority breakdown tooltip showing the six signal bars for a backlog item, with each signal labeled and showing its contribution]

Every score is transparent. You can see exactly what's driving it.

Hover over any priority score bar in the backlog list, table, or kanban view to see the breakdown tooltip. Each bar represents one signal. Taller bars mean a higher contribution to the total score. The bars are sorted by impact.

Open the item detail panel for the full priority breakdown with percentages and the option to override the score.

The priority score shown in the backlog list and the detail panel always match. Both display the stored computed score from the last recalculation.

[SCREENSHOT: Backlog item detail panel showing the full priority breakdown section with signal bars and percentages]

A zero-value factor doesn't mean something is wrong - it means that signal has no data for this item yet.

💡 Tip: Priority scores improve as you connect more data sources. Linking your CRM adds revenue signals. Importing more feedback increases volume and breadth signals.

You can sort your backlog by priority score across all views - table, list, and kanban - using the sort dropdown next to the view toggle. The sort is server-side, meaning it ranks all items in your workspace (not just the visible page) before applying pagination.

Other available sort options include Last Mentioned, Last Created, Mentions, Customers, and Deal Size.

If your team already uses an industry-standard prioritization framework, you can switch to WSJF-based scoring. Pilea maps your customer signals into the framework automatically.

You can switch frameworks in Settings > Workspace > Priority scoring. After switching, click the button to recalculate all scores. Scores update within seconds for most workspaces.

ℹ️ Note: Changing frameworks doesn't delete any data. Your underlying customer signals stay the same - only how they're combined into the final score changes.

The default weights work well for most teams. But if your business model is different - say you weight prospect feedback more heavily, or breadth matters less because you have a small number of high-value accounts - you can adjust.

In Settings > Workspace > Priority scoring, use the weight sliders to increase or decrease each signal's contribution. The weights must add up to 100%.

After adjusting, click Choose Priority Score & Recalculate to apply the new weights across all backlog items.

Weight sliders are only available for the Pilea Priority Score framework. WSJF-based uses fixed equal weights for its three components.

The effort divisor divides the priority score by the estimated size of the item. This means a high-priority item that takes two days to fix surfaces above a high-priority item that takes six months - especially useful when you're choosing what to do next.

Item size is estimated automatically by AI when the backlog item is created. You can change it manually in the item's detail panel. Changing the size immediately recalculates the priority score.

The size values and their effect on the score:

For WSJF-based scoring, the effort divisor is always active - it's a core part of how the framework calculates scores.

For Pilea Priority Score, the effort divisor is optional. You can enable it in Settings > Workspace > Priority scoring.

Sometimes you know something the data doesn't. An executive made a commitment to a customer. A contractual obligation requires a fix by a specific date. You're making a strategic bet the score can't capture.

For these cases, you can pin a manual score on any backlog item:

The pinned score replaces the computed score everywhere - in the backlog list, kanban board, and table view. A pinned badge appears next to the score in all views so your team knows it's an override.

The original computed score is preserved and shown as "Computed: X - manually overridden" so your team can see both the data-driven ranking and the decision you made on top of it.

To remove an override, open the same panel and click the X next to the pinned badge. The computed score takes over again.

⚠️ Important: When scores are recalculated (after new feedback, CRM syncs, or a manual recalculation), manually overridden items keep their pinned score. The computed score updates silently in the background.

Priority scores recompute automatically:

You can also trigger a manual recalculation anytime by clicking Recalculate scores on the backlog page.

Being honest about what the priority score can't do is as important as explaining what it can.

Once your team has used the priority score to decide what to build next, the workflow continues: