In our earlier article, we offered some key primary notions associated to prioritization in product growth. Subsequent, we’ll concentrate on particular frameworks which might be usually used to spice up the method of prioritization. At this time let’s discuss in regards to the Eisenhower matrix.
A backlog is an inventory of duties {that a} product group completes throughout a time interval. This listing is linear, and its most pressing duties are positioned on the high of it. The Eisenhower matrix defines the order of duties. It offers a classification based mostly on such parameters as urgency and significance. In accordance with this framework, duties will be:
- Pressing, essential
- Not pressing, essential,
- Pressing, not essential
- Not pressing, not essential
This scheme presents an apparent downside: when you have something pressing + not essential, you’ll prioritize it over not pressing + essential. You’re going to commit your assets to essential stuff solely when it turns into pressing.
In case you have an pressing + essential activity, it turns into your №1 precedence. No matter is pressing + not essential is out of the system.
Balancing between pressing and essential duties is the best downside of any prioritization course of. Pressing duties have a deadline and managers push them ahead within the backlog. Essential duties are essential for the enterprise, as they transfer it in the direction of reaching its targets — however they don’t seem to be time-limited.
Lean manufacturing philosophy states: when your startup continues to be small and you’ve got nearly nothing to threat, you may skip most of your pressing duties. If you happen to concentrate on the essential ones, you’ll get nearer to your targets. Simply embrace the potential for dangers and concentrate on rising.
Prioritizing is all about discovering the precise stability between essential and pressing duties.
Nevertheless, when your organization grows, you’ve got extra workers, processes, purchasers, and companions. In different phrases, you’ll have extra dangers, obligations, and duties that may take away your assets from the essential duties. It’s a lot tougher to decide on priorities if there’s quite a bit at stake.
The largest query is how can we maintain essential duties with out suspending them? The bottom line is to delegate pressing + not essential duties to others. Take it as a floor rule: a product group’s capability is all the time restricted by its leaders’ focus of consideration.
On this scenario, it’s best to outsource all duties that aren’t essential to the enterprise objective. Arrange your workflow in a manner that permits leaders to pay much less consideration to unimportant duties.
