Prioritization
As we plan and negotiate complex workloads, we attempt to solve decision problems with prioritization. It aims to answer questions such as, what features should we build? What should we do first? What tasks can we defer if we run out of time or resources? In Chapter 5, we introduced prioritization as an important step in overall project planning, but we did not broach areas such as the different methods, the pitfalls of prioritization, and how to choose the right method.
Prioritization in itself is a deep topic, with scores of competing approaches and decades of research examining its conditions and practices. While we cannot cover all that there is to know about prioritization, it is useful to understand some of the trade-offs as a foundation for managing shifting priorities. With that in mind, let’s start with a survey of common prioritization methods.
Methods of prioritization
Methods of prioritization range from simple to complex. Regardless of the...
