Prioritization Challenges: How to Make Sense of Everything When Everything is a Priority

One of the biggest challenges is deciding what to prioritize when everything seems to be a priority. Each stakeholder argues for their projects, all of which are equally important in the business, making it difficult to make the right decisions. This article provides tips, prioritization frameworks, and ways to involve stakeholders in the prioritization process to help Product Managers make sense of everything.

This article arose from a very good feedback I received from my previous article, The Power of Clear Scope: How Product Managers Can Improve Collaboration and Deliver Successful Products: “The idea of defining a clear scope is very nice, but the biggest challenge is deciding what’s a priority when everything is a priority. Each stakeholder argues their projects, all of which are equally important in my business, but I have to choose when everyone thinks theirs is the most important”.

I think it is an excellent comment since that’s a common challenge that many product managers face. I have just learned in one of my most recent experiences that in situations where multiple stakeholders argue that their projects are a top priority, it’s important to take a step back and assess the situation objectively.

Here are some tips and ideas that may help you in this kind of scenarios.

Tips for Prioritization

1) Identify your key business objectives: Determine the overall business objectives that your product needs to achieve. This will help you focus on the most critical projects that align with these objectives.

2) Define a framework for prioritization: Establish a framework that allows you to evaluate each project against a set of criteria, such as impact on the business, cost, and level of effort required. This can help you compare projects objectively and prioritize them accordingly.

3) Engage stakeholders in the prioritization process: Involve stakeholders in the prioritization process to ensure that everyone’s perspective is taken into account. You can gather feedback and input from each stakeholder, then use your framework to evaluate each project objectively.

4) Communicate clearly: Communicate the results of the prioritization process to stakeholders, including why certain projects were prioritized over others. This can help manage expectations and ensure that everyone understands the rationale behind your decisions.

5) Be flexible: Priorities can change over time, so it’s important to remain flexible and be prepared to adjust your priorities as needed based on changing business needs and circumstances.

Prioritization Frameworks

Product Managers can use prioritization frameworks to help them make informed decisions about which projects to prioritize. Some examples of prioritization frameworks include:

• Eisenhower Matrix: This framework involves categorizing tasks or projects into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance.
• Value vs. Effort Matrix: This framework involves evaluating projects based on their potential value to the business and the effort required to complete them.
• Cost of Delay: This framework involves evaluating projects based on the cost of delaying them.
• Kano Model: This framework involves evaluating features based on their impact on customer satisfaction and the effort required to implement them.
• RICE Score: This framework involves evaluating projects based on their reach, impact, confidence, and effort required.

These are just a few examples of prioritization frameworks that can be used to evaluate projects and determine which ones to prioritize. Each framework has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose the framework that best aligns with your business goals and objectives.

Involving Stakeholders

Involving stakeholders in the prioritization process can help build buy-in and ensure that everyone’s perspective is taken into account. Product Managers can involve stakeholders by:

• Holding prioritization meetings or workshops to gather feedback and input.
• Conducting surveys or other methods to gather feedback from stakeholders.
• Creating a cross-functional team to ensure that everyone’s perspective is taken into account.

Recommended Agenda To facilitate prioritization meetings

1. Introduction: Introduce the meeting purpose and objectives, and review the agenda.
2. Review business objectives: Review the business objectives that your product needs to achieve, and ensure that everyone understands how the prioritization process fits into the overall business strategy.
3. Framework overview: Provide an overview of the prioritization framework that you will use, and review the criteria for evaluation.
4. Project evaluation: Evaluate each project against the criteria and rank them accordingly.
5. Group discussion: Engage stakeholders in a group discussion to gather feedback and input on the prioritization decisions.
6. Finalize prioritization: Review the prioritized projects and finalize the prioritization decisions.
7. Action plan: Develop an action plan for each prioritized project, including timelines, resources required, and next steps.
8. Closing: Review key takeaways from the meeting, and thank participants for their input and participation.

Conclusion

Prioritization is a critical task for Product Managers, and it requires a clear understanding of the business goals and objectives. Remember, as a product manager, you have a unique perspective on the overall business objectives and what is needed to achieve them. By establishing a clear framework for prioritization and engaging stakeholders in the process, you can make informed decisions that prioritize the most critical projects for your business.