Key takeaways
- Score value and effort separately so easy work does not crowd out important work.
- Draw a capacity line and be explicit about what sits below it.
- Allow a small, documented route for non-discretionary work.
Every portfolio eventually hits the same wall: more requests than people, money and attention. Without a shared method, priority goes to whoever argues loudest or most recently. A transparent prioritisation approach does not remove the hard choices, but it makes them visible and defensible.
Separate value from effort
Score each initiative on the value it brings, using a small set of weighted criteria that reflect your strategy. Typical criteria include safety, regulatory compliance, service improvement, financial benefit and strategic fit. Score effort and delivery risk separately.
Keeping them apart matters. If effort is part of the priority score, quick and cheap work rises to the top and important but difficult work never starts.
Insist on evidence
Every score should carry a short justification and a confidence level. Two people should score independently and then agree. This takes a little longer, but it builds trust in the result.
The goal is not a perfect number. It is a decision that leaders can explain to the people whose work did not make the cut.
Draw the capacity line
Rank the portfolio, then compare it with real delivery capacity across the teams and roles involved. Draw a line. Everything above it is resourced. Everything below it waits, and the people who requested it are told why and when it will be reviewed.
Handle the non-negotiables
Some work must happen regardless of its score, such as a legal deadline or an end-of-support system. Allow a documented override for these, approved by the governance forum, so they are honest exceptions rather than a back door.
Review on a rhythm
Priorities change. Re-run the ranking at a regular point, such as quarterly or at each planning increment, and whenever a major new request arrives.
Forlanto designs prioritisation scorecards and capacity models, and runs the first cycles with your leadership team so the method sticks.
