- #Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix how to#
- #Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix update#
- #Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix series#
Prioritizing increases the success rates of strategic projects, increases the alignment and focus of senior management teams around strategic goals, clears all doubts for the operational teams when faced with decisions, and, most important, builds an execution mindset and culture.
#Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix how to#
The people who work for Ryanair know what the priority is, and thus know how to allocate their time on the job. The European budget airline Ryanair, for example, is absolutely clear that it is a no-frills operation where efficiency is the operational priority - and efficiency takes precedence over customer service. The senior management of the postal company thought they had communicated clear priorities, but in fact they had created an operational dilemma that resulted from strategic confusion.Ĭontrast this with other successful companies. What was she meant to do? Thousands of employees at this company were facing similar trade-offs every day. What about efficiency? If she spent even a few minutes chatting with her customer, her delivery times would suffer. It would be a kind thing to do, and surely it would also increase customer satisfaction. Mary’s natural inclination was to spend a little time with the lonely old man.
And it worked fine until she was out delivering packages and was met at the door by an elderly man who asked her to come in and talk for a while.
#Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix series#
Senior leaders gathered employees together at a series of town hall events where the CEO asked them to focus on two operational priorities: efficiency (reducing delivery times) and customer satisfaction (ensuring customers had a good experience).
Like many other postal services, the company has been struggling to survive in an era of increasing competition and digital substitutes. Take another real example: a postal service company delivering packages to customers. Prioritization at a strategic and operational level is often the difference between success and failure. If people were available, the project was launched. Capacity, not strategy, was determining which projects launched and when. The bank was using a project management tool, but the lack of discipline in keeping it up to date made it largely fruitless. No one had a clear view of the status of those investments, or even the anticipated benefits. Behind that problem was a deeper one: We had more than 100 large projects (each worth over 500,000 euros) under way. Although we had been a market leader for many years, our new products had been launched several months later than the competition - in fact, our time to market had doubled over the previous three years.
When I first joined BNP Paribas Fortis, for example, two younger and more dynamic banks had just overtaken us.
#Matrix high alignment high priority priority matrix update#
So, watch out for changes and update your decision matrix regularly to keep your priorities up to date.Every organization needs what I call a “hierarchy of purpose.” Without one, it is almost impossible to prioritize effectively. You'll also be able to make a more unbiased decision when it comes to the score by treating each criterion separately from the others.Įxternal realities (like a new competitor), as well as internal goals and conditions of an organization (budget cuts), can change quickly. This will help you make an objective decision, putting these simple criteria into perspective. When it comes to considering the first criteria, ignore the rest. Does it need to be a certain amount? Should it be quick or easy? Does it need to align with a certain goal? This way you will quickly eliminate unnecessary options. Before you go ahead, check out these three essential tips to help you avoid common pitfalls:īefore you start creating your weighted decision matrix, identify what sort of attributes you think a winning choice requires. You will be able to get started with a weighted decision matrix now. 3 Tips on how to optimize the decision matrix