How to get the most out of prioritising your work

When we ask organizations about prioritization during Agile Transformation Development, it often leads to feelings of being overwhelmed, undervalued, and confused. Their current methods can seem superficial and shortsighted, making the idea of prioritizing work in an ordered list matched to capacity somewhat exciting. This is because people often face more work and ideas than they have the capacity to fulfill. Does that sound familiar to you? If so, read on!

Recent trends we see, particularly in larger organizations, regarding prioritization include:

• Teams wanting to work smarter to feel more fulfilled at work.
• Teams seeking to embrace accountability and do more meaningful work rather than simply fulfill orders.
• Teams desiring empowerment to make prioritization decisions.
• Team members wishing to shed the ‘guilt’ of letting go of work to achieve great things.
• Shifting to use conversations and prioritization tools to collectively align on priorities.

It’s important to prioritize effectively in organizations for the following reasons:

• Focus on delivering value: Prioritizing ensures that the most important and valuable tasks are completed first, allowing teams to deliver value early and frequently.
• Enhance flexibility: Helps the team adapt to changing business environments and requirements. By shifting priorities, teams ensure that the most valuable and important tasks are always being delivered first.
• Effective use of people and time: Ensures that we are always working on high-value tasks.
• Reduce risks: By addressing the most critical tasks first, it helps identify and manage risks.

Prioritization methods

Without including an exhaustive list, there are many methods by which you can prioritise (here are some) you can find lots of information about each online without going into more detail here:

• MoSCoW – Must Have, Should Have, Could Have
• T-shirt sizing
• Value Vs Urgency 
• Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) – cost of delay
• First in, last out
• Eisenhower Matrix (Do, Decide, Delegate, Delete) 
• Kano Model (Basic needs, Performance, Attributes, Excitement attributes) 
• RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) 
• Pareto Principle (also known as 80/20 rule) 
• SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) 
• Cost-Benefit analysis 
• Risk Assessment

EPiC tips for prioritization:

Create a Common Language

Each prioritization method has its merits and drawbacks. What’s important is finding a common way to prioritize within your team, and even across teams. This creates a common language and norm of prioritization, avoiding the need to debate how to prioritize each time. Make every conversation around prioritization fulfilling and productive.

Use More Than One Method

Often, teams use a combination of methods. For example, a team might shortlist ideas using a Value vs. Urgency matrix and then apply something more specific like WSJF to further sort and refine into an ordered backlog of initiatives.

Avoid Bias

Be mindful of team members prioritizing tasks that align with their own expertise and interests over those that are most valuable for the team and initiatives.

Ensure Transparency in the Process

Everyone should know which prioritization process is being used and how it works to prevent misunderstandings or a lack of buy-in.

Avoid Overcommitment

Taking on too much or treating everything as important can lead to burnout and poor quality of work.

Include Stakeholder/Customer Input

A lack of stakeholder or customer input can result in priorities that do not align with the wider organization or customer goals and needs.