Throughout this five-part series, we’ve watched our fictional cleaning robot manufacturer, Garry’s Robots Ltd., transform their chaotic product development process by implementing a standardized prioritization framework. After establishing a data foundation, creating scoring structures, and securing organization-wide buy-in, they’re ready for the final critical phase: making their new prioritization approach sustainable.
Even well-designed frameworks can fail when organizations stumble into common implementation pitfalls. This final post reveals how to avoid these traps and build a prioritization practice that delivers consistent results over time.
With the right approach to portfolio management, organizations can:
- Speed decision-making without sacrificing quality
- Proactively identify and resolve resource conflicts
- Create a self-reinforcing cycle of prioritization excellence
Common Pitfalls in Product Development Prioritization
Even well-designed prioritization systems can fail in practice. This section explores why.
Pitfall 1: Erratic and undefined governance
Approval processes are necessary, but they often slow decision-making. Excessive governance turns gates into roadblocks, while too little governance makes standardization meaningless.
Real-World Impact of Governance Challenges
Lax governance has been a problem for many direct-to-consumer retail businesses post-pandemic. Brands like Glossier and Allbirds, which initially prioritized customer acquisition, are now faced with changing consumer behaviour and a rising CAC (customer acquisition cost). Without strict governance, DTC organizations struggle to refocus on profitability, omnichannel strategies, and inventory control.
At Garry’s Robots, leaders avoided the governance pitfall by implementing a tiered governance structure: minor features need few approvals, while major investments need to be thoroughly vetted. As a result, they cut average decision time by 60%.
Pitfall 2: Focusing solely on financials
Qualitative factors, such as strategic fit and risk, are just as important as things like cost.
Garry’s Robots highlighted strategy by developing a balanced scorecard. The criteria included strategic alignment and market disruption potential, which revealed the true value of their water-cleaning feature.
Pitfall 3: Waiting for perfect data
Perfectionism leads to analysis paralysis. An iterative approach—the antidote to perfectionism—encourages you to begin work immediately, using the information you already have.
At Garry’s Robots, it took a few months to integrate their toolchain and build historical data. But this didn’t stop them from moving projects forward. Instead of holding off for absolute certainty, they approved high-value projects based on the best available information.
Pitfall 4: Neglecting resource capacity
Enthusiastic leaders tend to approve more projects than teams can realistically handle.
Garry’s Robots avoided overcommitment by visualizing capacity and using a scenario planning tool. As a result, resources were allocated more sensibly, and predictions became more accurate.
Pitfall 5: Portfolio amnesia
When prioritization decisions are not documented or communicated, teams may veer off in different directions, pursuing localized gains at the expense of overall strategy.
At Garry’s Robots, departments maintain consistency by using a central decision repository. The repository has information about the rationales for each decision. Proper documentation promotes continuity and prevents redundant discussions.
Implementing Portfolio Management for Sustainable Prioritization
Manual spreadsheets and disconnected systems can’t support the complex decision-making required for effective prioritization. As Garry’s Robots discovered, modern portfolio management solutions deliver the integration and visibility needed to make their prioritization framework operational. Their targeted approach focused on:
- Starting small: They piloted with just their cleaning robot division rather than attempting company-wide deployment
- Leveraging AI-driven insights: The system’s machine learning identified patterns and recommended optimal resource allocations that human analysis missed
- Creating digital visibility: Automated reporting exposed bottlenecks before they became critical, while AI algorithms predicted potential conflicts
- Managing dependencies: Integrated roadmapping with AI-detected dependencies prevented the domino-effect delays that had previously plagued launches
This incremental implementation quickly demonstrated value across the enterprise and at every level.
Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement
Organizations can monitor prioritization effectiveness with several key indicators:
- Portfolio performance, as measured by a strategic alignment score and ROI
- Efficiency, as measured by resource utilization
- Time-to-decision improvements
- Project success rates
Garry’s Robots achieved excellent results with standardized prioritization, including a 40% reduction in product development cycle time and an increase in the number of high-value projects delivered. Furthermore, they successfully launched the water-cleaning feature ahead of competitors, thus increasing their market share. Having a clear strategic direction improved collaboration and palpably boosted morale.
Remember that continuous improvement is key. To sustain success, organizations must regularly review criteria, use market performance feedback loops, and evolve governance as the organization matures.
Get Your Priorities Straight Now
In this series we’ve introduced a prioritization framework with three components: data, scoring, and buy-in. Data is the foundation, the raw material for decision-making. Scoring is the mechanism that makes data actionable. And finally, buy-in is all-important human element—the organization-wide commitment to a process that works.
With the framework in place, Garry’s Robots built a culture and practice of strategic prioritization. And it’s always improving. To improve your own practice, one action you can take today is to conduct a quick assessment of your current prioritization process. Have you stumbled into a pitfall?
Finally, remember that prioritization excellence is a means to an end; the ultimate goal is sustainable, valuable innovation.
Download the Complete Framework: “How to Prioritize New Product Development Projects”
Build your sustainable prioritization practice with our comprehensive guide covering all aspects of the framework we’ve explored throughout this series.
