prioritisation

Prioritisation is the process of determining the relative importance of tasks, decisions, or requirements and arranging them in order of priority to achieve defined objectives. It is applied across fields such as project management, product development, operations, healthcare, and public policy. Core factors typically considered include potential impact, value, urgency, feasibility, resource availability, risk, and alignment with strategic goals. The aim is to allocate limited resources—time, money, personnel—toward the items with the greatest expected benefit or least risk.

Common methods include prioritisation frameworks and scoring models. The MoSCoW method segments requirements into Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have. The Eisenhower matrix categorises tasks by urgency and importance. The Analytic Hierarchy Process provides a structured way to compare options, while weighted scoring models assign scores across predefined criteria. In software and product work, backlog prioritisation and value-based measures such as return on investment or cost of delay are frequently used. Decision-makers may also apply cost-benefit or risk-adjusted analyses to quantify trade-offs.

Executing prioritisation involves identifying items, defining criteria, scoring or ranking each item, and distributing resources accordingly. It is iterative: new information or changing objectives may shift priorities, requiring reassessment and reallocation. Limitations include subjectivity, data quality, and stakeholder disagreement. When used transparently, prioritisation supports strategic alignment, improves efficiency, and enhances accountability by documenting rationale for decisions.