ICE scoring in ISO Mate helps you prioritize issues by rating each one on three dimensions: Impact, Confidence, and Ease. ISO Mate then calculates a single weighted score that also accounts for the issue type and its source, giving you a consistent way to order your backlog. You set and adjust the score from the ICE dialog on the Issues list, the backlog, and the sprint and release views.
What ICE measures
Each issue is rated on three factors, each from 1.0 to 10.0:
- Impact: How much value or improvement the issue will deliver.
- Confidence: How certain you are about the impact and effort estimates.
- Ease: How easy the issue is to implement.
The scoring dialog captures all three values together, so a score always reflects the full picture rather than a single factor.
The formula
ISO Mate computes the score as ((Impact + Confidence + Ease) / 3) × type weight × source multiplier, then rounds it to two decimals.
Type weights
The issue type adjusts the score to reflect its typical urgency:
- Bug: 1.3, so defects rank higher.
- Task: 1.1.
- Story, Epic, and Subtask: 1.0, the baseline.
A Bug and a Story with identical Impact, Confidence, and Ease values therefore produce different scores, with the Bug landing 30 percent higher.
Source multiplier
Each issue carries a source that indicates where the request came from:
- Internal: 1.0 multiplier, the default.
- External: 1.25 multiplier.
External issues, such as customer reported bugs or partner requests, receive a 25 percent boost to reflect their business weight.
Setting an ICE score
- Find the issue: Locate it on the Issues list, the backlog, or a sprint or release view.
- Open the ICE dialog: Select the issue ICE score to open the scoring dialog.
- Set the sliders: Adjust Impact, Confidence, and Ease from 1.0 to 10.0 in steps of 0.1.
- Choose the source: Toggle between Internal and External.
- Check the preview: The dialog shows a live preview of the computed score alongside the applied type weight and source multiplier.
- Save: Confirm to apply the score to the issue.
Score colors
Scores are color coded so you can scan priorities quickly:
- Green: Above 7, higher priority.
- Amber: From 4 to 7, medium priority.
- Red: Below 4, lower priority.
Sorting, filtering, and bulk updates
The Issues list sorts by ICE score in descending order by default, so the highest value work rises to the top. You can filter issues by source to focus on Internal or External requests, and use the bulk source action to set the source to Internal or External for several selected issues at once.
Worked examples
- Bug, Internal: Impact 8, Confidence 7, Ease 6 gives ((8 + 7 + 6) / 3) × 1.3 × 1.0 = 9.10.
- Story, External: Impact 5, Confidence 5, Ease 5 gives ((5 + 5 + 5) / 3) × 1.0 × 1.25 = 6.25.
- Task, Internal: Impact 9, Confidence 8, Ease 4 gives ((9 + 8 + 4) / 3) × 1.1 × 1.0 = 7.70.
ICE in exports
The Impact, Confidence, Ease, ICE Score, and Source fields are included in issue CSV and PDF exports, with column headers shown in your language.