Project Prioritization and Scoring using Podio Javascript Calculations Fields

How much time does your company waste trying to prioritize projects? Does your team debate over what projects to start first, when to start projects, and why certain project should get more resources?

Client #L-0395 needed a system for prioritizing clients. We worked with client #L-0395 and cleared the path with a prioritization matrix that integrated directly into their project management software.

This software removes all human bias in deciding the production schedule and is based on a series of multiple-choice questions, each weighted differently. This ensures that end users can properly weight resources against the currently active projects, and more importantly, it ensures that the decision-making process runs smoothly from inception to project launch.

This post uses an example prioritization matrix with five questions (a real prioritization matrix can be as small or as large as needed). The important thing is that it will yield a ranging score to divide the most productive projects from the least. We’ll break it into sections for now.

We set up the first part in variables:

var mandateScore = 0.10;
var measurementScore = 0.20;
var valueScore = 0.30;
var complexityScore = 0.40;
var deliveryScore = 0;
var totalScore = 0;
var priorityScore = 0;

The first five variables are the scores for each of the five questions. The following two are for adding up the scores and calculating the total score.

Once we have the variables declared, we want to assign a value to them. We do so by passing the answers to the questions through a series of “conditional” statements. The logic of this in plain English sounds something like this, “If you answered ‘No mandate’, then you get 10 points.”

From here, you can generate the entire score by adding four of the dropdowns and multiplying them by 10. 

The last variable is the total + one of the dropdowns.

As is often the case, a prioritization matrix is not all encompassing. We created an “Override” score input for the high-level administers of Client #L-0395. If an admin enters an “Override Priority Score,” then the prioritization matrix will be not be used and the software will display the override score instead.

 

Hopefully this short lesson in project prioritization will help you and your team optimally manage your resources.