Mike Cohn posted an article a few years ago on Now vs Not-Now Prioritization Along with Medium-Term Goals.

The article is a good read.

In the article he states.

At the start of each quarter, a product owner should put a stake in the ground saying “Here’s where we want to be in three months.” This is done in conjunction with the team and other stakeholders, but the ultimate vision for a product is up to the product owner.

A product owner doesn’t need to be overly committed to the vision—it can be changed. But, without a stake in the ground a few months out, prioritization decisions are likely to be driven by whatever emergencies erupt right before sprint planning meetings. Without a vision, the urgent always wins over the strategic.

Setting a goal and initial deadline helps focus you in on delivering the highest value. If you get mired down in lesser value items you will not be able to accomplish your overall goal. It is no different than the concept of Rocks in EOS. If you first fill your jar up with a bunch of sand you will not get large rocks into it later.

He also outlines some of his basic criteria for prioritization.

What challenges have you faced in prioritization? Are there strategies you use to help prioritize?

Let us know in the comments below.