Project Prioritization
What it is and why you should care
- Prioritizing is crucial to managing multiple projects. Choosing the best projects for your organization's limited resources is critical.
- Prioritizing projects is an iterative process that requires regular and consistent updating and review.
- Most IT organizations have multiple projects on the go at any one time. On top if that, more project requests come in - all of which need to be managed and prioritized.
- When faced with multiple projects, it's important to decide what to do and in which order.
- Poor project management decisions can have a negative impact that outlives the project itself. Organizations must accept and live with the consequences of their project decisions.
- Paying proper attention to the goals and objectives of the organization is essential in prioritizing projects.
- To effectively manage projects, you need to have a method of monitoring and controlling incoming project requests.
Why use OptimizeIT for your Project Prioritization?
- You get a step-by-step approach that makes prioritizing projects a logical, repeatable, and easy-to-use process.
- You can use the process end-to-end, or choose tools and approaches that address the needs and concerns specific to your organization.
- The process works for all types of projects, no matter the type or size of your organization or IT department.
- The toolset can be used to prioritize up to 100 projects at any one time.
- The process covers the entire project prioritization lifecycle from the initial definition of a project through to how to manage and maintain a project priority list over time.
What You'll Get From the Project Prioritization Program
We'll supply the tools to help you...
Evaluate:
- Establish the proper rules of engagement when it comes to project prioritization.
- Understand and define what constitutes a project.
- Learn to distinguish a true project from other non-project activities.
- Request and gather new project proposals from across the organization, ensuring that all necessary information required for preliminary review is accurate and complete.
Decide:
- Determine the key criteria for comparing and evaluating projects, as well as ranking projects by importance and priority, as determined by the organization.
- Communicate preliminary rankings to senior management and obtain support for approving and initiating projects.
Adjust:
- Evaluate resource availability against project priority list.
- Review resource outcome with stakeholders and obtain their approval to the revised project list.
Re–Adjust:
- Identify possible events that could trigger re-prioritization or cause need for re-evaluation and change.
- Revisit project priority list and make adjustments as required.
- Review adjustments and seek approval from stakeholders.
You'll Have Access to a Complete Toolbox:
Establish Process for Collecting Valid Project Requests:
- Guide to Defining a Project
- Project Prioritization Process Template
- Project Request E-Mail Template
- Project Request Form
Adjust Preliminary Project Prioritization List to Reflect IT Capacity:
- Project Prioritization Resource Alignment Master Tool
- E-Mail Approval Template
Decide High Priority Projects:
- Project Prioritization Master Tool
- E-Mail Approval Template
Make Re-Adjustments:
- Guide to Understanding Triggers for Re-Prioritization
- Project Prioritization List Maintenance Guidelines
- Re-Prioritization Master Tool
- E-Mail Approval Template
And Using OptimizeIT, You Get Measurable Results:
Developing and adhering to a long-range Project Prioritization program will allow you to better meet business expectations by leveraging a proactive approach.
- You will better understand project prioritization – and be able to align projects to meet business goals and objectives.
- Your process for prioritizing projects will be more efficient and effective.
- You will be more confident about your ongoing prioritization initiatives.
