How to Use Strategic Prioritization in Project Management

Update on training my own GPT so that people can ask it "what would Tami advise" .... it's totally working... I asked it: How do I prioritize items on a roadmap? Below is the response... this is very much what I would have advised. Prioritizing items on a roadmap requires balancing strategic goals, business impact, and execution feasibility. Here’s a structured approach: 1. Align with Vision and Strategy - Ensure every roadmap item supports your company and product vision. - Tie initiatives to key business objectives (e.g., increasing revenue, improving retention, reducing costs). 2. Use a Prioritization Framework - Consider frameworks that help evaluate trade-offs: --RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) – Helps quantify potential impact. --Cost of Delay – Prioritizes based on time sensitivity. --Weighted Scoring – Assigns values based on business impact and feasibility. 3. Leverage Data and Customer Insights -Use data on revenue drivers, churn indicators, and customer feedback to guide decisions. -Align with sales, customer success, and support teams to validate demand. 4. Balance Short-Term and Long-Term Goals -Don’t just focus on quick wins; allocate time for innovation, technical debt reduction, and strategic bets. 5. Engage Stakeholders Early -Involve executives, engineers, and cross-functional leaders to ensure alignment and feasibility. -Consider internal “swing voters” who need convincing rather than just loudest voices. 6. Refine and Reprioritize Continuously -Roadmaps should be living documents that adapt based on market shifts, customer needs, and business performance.

Prioritization is a core skill for product managers. But most do it wrong. - They start with the backlog first. - Apply math. - Rank score the results. - Have it all blown up in their face by stakeholders. Stephen Covey famously said, "Begin with the end in mind." And that's exactly how we need to approach prioritization. Start with the outcomes we want and work our way backwards. Here's what you really need to do: 1. (Re-)Learn Your Product ↳ Not the tech stack. ↳ Not the bits and bytes ↳ Not the features and functions. ↳ Your product's business model - how it creates, delivers, and captures value. 2. Gather Key Business Information ↳ Your company's business objectives. ↳ Your product strategy and goals. ↳ Key customer insights. 3. Organize ↳ Group into themes. ↳ Flush out old items. ↳ Question anything not obviously strategically aligned. 4. Prioritize Strategically ↳ Use any scheme ↳ They are CONVERSATION STARTERS. ↳ All should be about economic value and customer benefit. 5. Visualize Your Roadmap. ↳ Represent themes. ↳ Phased themes are ok. ↳ Align with objectives and outcomes from above. ↳ Call out key projects and customer commitments. 6. Socialize ↳ Know your TRUE stakeholders. ↳ Identify power players and influencers. ↳ Know your org's decision-making culture. ↳ Use shuttle diplomacy. ↳ Iterate and update. 7. Establish a Roadmap Routine ↳ Roadmap reviews ↳ Intake process ↳ Roadmap planning cycle It's not about just plug & play of some math formula. Prioritization ALWAYS starts with strategy. And ends with outcomes. Want to learn exactly how to implement this for your product? Enroll in One Week Product Roadmap - My cohort-based course that will teach you how to Master Delivering Value Instead of managing a backlog swamp. Join the next cohort at: https://lnkd.in/eYEN7zmh ~~~ 👍 Like this post. ♻️ Repost to your network. ➕ Follow Shardul Mehta to become a better PM. ✅ Subscribe to https://lnkd.in/eTMfsf-F

𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: "When everything feels urgent, how do you prioritize?" 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: I start by taking a step back to assess three key areas: • 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Are you generating enough leads to meet your revenue goals? • 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: How is your conversion rate holding up? • 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆: Are you nearing your team's limit, and how many more clients can you realistically handle without compromising quality? Once I’ve pinpointed the most critical area, I tackle my urgent list with a strategic mindset: • What tasks can I delegate to free up time? • What processes can I automate to increase efficiency? • How can I streamline workflows to make everything run smoother? By honing in on the key area, I make sure I’m working on what truly moves my business forward, steering clear of tasks that might seem urgent or promising but are really just distractions. For example, why focus on marketing if you’re already at capacity or struggling with sales conversions? Remember: Prioritization is about aligning your efforts with your business needs so you’re not just playing a game of whack-a-mole. Illustration Pejman Milani

I've managed 5 high-performing product marketing teams at startups and public companies, and there are 2 commonalities I've noticed at each: 1) it's easy for PMMs to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks on their plates, and 2) teams are rarely recognized for their true effort or impact by upper management. That's why I want to share my prioritization matrix 👇 It’s been a game-changer in how my teams approach projects and focus on what truly drives results. I’m curious—does this framework resonate with your approach to prioritizing tasks? Here's the concept: Rack up the wins by focusing on projects that offer high visibility and impact for lower effort and avoid those that drain your energy and don’t align with company goals. (Note: you could replace visibility with impact on this scale, but it's important that what you're working on is actually on the radar of those in upper management). Here’s how to prioritize: Quick Wins: These are the golden opportunities! High visibility, low difficulty — they bring great returns with minimal effort. Look for ways to get a few of these in your quarter. Strategic Initiatives: Aim for ONE strategic initiative per quarter. These are high-visibility, high-difficulty tasks that are aligned with your long-term goals. Go deep, plan ahead, and focus on the impact. You will be the most proud of these, but you need to be realistic about them. Routine Tasks: You’ve got to keep up with these, but don't let them consume too much of your time. Find a system to manage them efficiently. Avoid: Stay clear of high-difficulty, low-visibility tasks. These projects often don't yield the results you need, and they’re energy-draining. They don't align with your values or long-term success. 💡 Action Step: Review your current or upcoming projects. Classify them into high or low reward, and high or low effort. What projects are you spending too much time on that aren’t worth the effort? Time to realign and focus on what truly matters! #Productivity #TimeManagement #Prioritization #WorkSmart #StrategicFocus #CareerGrowth #Leadership How do you manage your / your team’s workload?