Priority Framework Orderings

Input: $ARGUMENTS

Overview

Systematic methods for ranking items when you have too many things competing for attention. Different frameworks emphasize different factors. Choose based on what matters most in your context.

Ordering Rules

Rule 1: Eisenhower Matrix (Urgency x Importance)

• Urgent + Important: Do first
• Important + Not Urgent: Schedule (this is where strategy lives)
• Urgent + Not Important: Delegate or minimize
• Neither: Eliminate
• When: personal productivity, task triage

Rule 2: MoSCoW (Must/Should/Could/Won’t)

• Must have: Non-negotiable, system fails without it
• Should have: Important, painful to miss
• Could have: Nice to have, include if resources allow
• Won’t have (this time): Explicitly excluded
• When: feature prioritization, requirements

Rule 3: RICE Score (Reach x Impact x Confidence / Effort)

• Score = (Reach x Impact x Confidence%) / Effort
• Process in descending RICE order
• When: product/feature prioritization with data

Rule 4: Cost of Delay

• Prioritize by how much value is lost per unit time of delay
• High cost-of-delay items go first regardless of size
• When: time-sensitive work, opportunity costs matter

Rule 5: Dependencies First

• Items that block other items go first
• Unblock the most downstream work earliest
• When: project planning, critical path analysis

Application

Step 1: Choose Framework

• Time management → Eisenhower
• Requirements/features → MoSCoW or RICE
• Project scheduling → Dependencies First + Cost of Delay

Step 2: Score All Items

• Apply the chosen framework to every item
• Make scoring explicit and documented

Step 3: Execute in Priority Order

• Work top-down through the ranked list
• Reassess if conditions change

When to Use

• Backlog grooming, sprint planning, personal task management
• Any situation with more items than capacity

Verification

• Framework matched to context
• All items scored consistently
• Top priorities are genuinely highest-value
• “Not doing” items explicitly identified