Prioritization criteria

Each health department will think about potential projects differently based on prioritization criteria. Project opportunities will be diverse, varying in type, focus, size, urgency and required resources. Each of these attributes are examples of prioritization criteria. Selecting the appropriate criteria to judge the merit of potential projects is important to avoid decision bias or hidden agendas and ensure that everyone is on the same page. More criteria are not better; ideally, reduce the list to two to five criteria that the team believes are most important.

*Link to priority setting matrix and example criteria

Project prioritization can be done using the Project Prioritization Matrix worksheet.

Urgency may be an important criterion. Consider the urgency by thinking about whether this project opportunity is urgent or important. Urgent activities demand immediate attention and are usually associated with achieving someone else’s goals. They are often the ones we concentrate on, and they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate. This data modernization work is a rare opportunity to address very important work that may not appear urgentTipFrequently, seemingly urgent tasks actually aren’t that important. And often, really important activities don’t have urgency. Important activities have an outcome that leads to us achieving our goals, whether these are professional or personal. but will enhance the foundation of data work and lead to the longevity of this initiative.