{"id":6131,"date":"2012-12-07T10:16:14","date_gmt":"2012-12-07T16:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/?p=6131"},"modified":"2018-01-23T13:18:40","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T19:18:40","slug":"democratizing-work-requests-project-scoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/democratizing-work-requests-project-scoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratizing IT Work Requests with Project Scoring"},"content":{"rendered":"

First published on ProjectManagement.com<\/a> on December 4th, 2012<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard the adage, \u201cBy failing to plan, you are planning to fail,\u201d but for IT departments trying to handle myriad work requests on a continual basis, a more apt adage would be \u201cBy failing to prioritize<\/em>, you are planning to fail.\u201d\u00a0This article is designed to give you a high-level view of how IT teams can prioritize projects, why it\u2019s important and how it benefits the entire company.<\/p>\n

Most IT departments develop what they think are a bullet-proof plan for handling IT requests, but outside factors interfere with carrying out that plan effectively. These factors include the \u201csqueaky wheel \u201c(a C-level executive or a persistent individual putting pressure on the IT team to bump a project to the top of the list); people within or outside of the IT department independently determining certain projects should be made higher priority; and the \u201cjust do it\u201d mentality where the IT department decides to jump on certain projects, not considering how well the project aligns with the company\u2019s business goals.<\/p>\n

Far beyond causing confusion and irritation, prioritizing tasks in a reactive way can be counterproductive. Without a system in place to prioritize IT projects–and tie the successful completion of projects to corporate business objectives–IT teams tend to get blamed for not focusing on their role in helping meet overall business goals and are viewed as a bottleneck rather than a resource.<\/p>\n

How does an IT team effectively \u201cdemocratize\u201d the prioritization of projects in a way that eliminates all of the above-mentioned detractors? It\u2019s actually easier than you might think to set up and to implement: it\u2019s by a system of project scoring.<\/p>\n

Project scoring in its simplest terms is a process in which incoming requests are assigned a score based on a generally accepted scoring framework. Project scoring sets a level playing field and allows the IT department to assign project priority based on an objective set of criteria. The benefits of implementing a scoring and prioritization process are immediate and measurable, including:<\/p>\n