How can you prioritize tasks when deadlines are tight?

There always seems to be more work need than time or resources available- prioritizing is essential (as is realizing priorities change frequently.) Aligning with business leadership on what are indeed the priorities at this point in time Is important as assuming they are static is a failure mode. However, as leaders and managers we are expected to do a lot without having to engage business leadership, so identifying the areas that have the largest impact to the overall goals and objectives of the business are the place to start. Prioritizing product launch needs or completing a customer project are examples of things that have to be prioritized, but when there are multiples of these the ones with larger impact of late have to move up.

Goals identification is the key once the deadlines are tight, we need to define what are most important objectives, milestones, deliveries. I should set smart goals for me and my team, SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

As per my experience, we can identify tasks that are both urgent and important which should be our top priorities. For large tasks, we can break them down into smaller, manageable sub-tasks. In this way, it is easier to allocate time and see progress. I think effective task prioritization is a skill that develops with practice. It's important to stay organized, stay focused, and be willing to adjust your plan when needed.

L'ingénieur, c'est celui qui ne faiblit pas face aux problèmes, mais plutot celui qui cherche par tout les moyens à les dompter et à avancer. Le principe de base est de savoir, d'avoir conscience du fait qu'il doit y avoir des problèmes.

Ensure that you understand the problems you are trying to solve instead of jumping right to the solutions. Once you have the core list of problems you are trying to solve, set clear success criteria to make sure you can assess when you have achieved your goals.

Break down large tasks into smaller one managable subtasks , this will help us avoid feeling overwhelmed or procrastinating, and allow us to focus on one thing at a time. for each subtask we can set deadline and Person in charge to perform it with clear deadline. We can use follow up checklist to ensure that the progress is going as planned.

You need to break down the big task to smaller tasks and make a plan accordingly to make sure that all tasks will be completed before the dead line after adding buffer time as usually issues happens at last minute. Then follow up on this plan day by day to assess the progress and revise if needed accordingly .

Task prioritization on tight date line can be done by outlining from difficult to easy in details. Ensure the right resources are available to complete it which mean not adding people but the people already exist in the project since it is budgeted already. Set daily commando meeting let say for 30 min to run through the task that was detailed out with date line is achieved or not. If not need to mitigated it immediately and close the action without compromising the date line been set.

In assessing tasks, also weigh their alignment with broader business goals. Prioritize tasks critical for business success, considering potential challenges or dependencies, especially in dynamic sectors like AdTech. Adopt an agile approach, re-evaluating task priorities in response to changing scenarios. Ensure open communication with your team about these priorities to foster collaboration and align efforts towards common objectives. This strategic alignment and adaptability are key in a fast-paced tech environment.

Tasks should be tackled in the order of importance, not urgency. If you spend all your time doing things that are urgent, you will never have time to do what is important.

In addition to categorizing tasks, remember that prioritization is a dynamic process. As projects evolve, re-evaluate tasks regularly to adapt to changing circumstances. This agility allows you to reallocate resources efficiently if priorities shift. It’s also important to balance high-effort tasks with quick wins to maintain momentum and team morale. Furthermore, don’t overlook the potential of delegating or outsourcing tasks, especially those that don’t align closely with your key skills or project goals. This approach not only streamlines your focus on high-impact activities but also fosters a collaborative team environment where everyone contributes their strengths.

Parallel path activities to reduce timelines. More often than not there is not enough risk being taking with mitigation plans considered.

In addition to scheduling tasks, it's crucial to prioritize them based on their impact and urgency. Utilize frameworks like Eisenhower’s Matrix to categorize tasks into 'urgent and important,' 'important but not urgent,' 'urgent but not important,' and 'neither urgent nor important.' This helps in focusing on what drives the most value. Additionally, integrating predictive analytics can forecast potential bottlenecks, allowing for proactive adjustments. Regularly review and adapt your plan to ensure alignment with evolving project goals and stakeholder expectations, ensuring a dynamic and responsive task management approach.

Reconciliation is critical to effective project management. Many organizations bypass KPIs/metrics as it relates to projects. Doing so is a fundamental flaw in asking the team to get better at what they do. It's best to start with some form of project metrics to help you out of the gate, then build on them to study critical indicators for tactical adjustments of organizational improvement.

I’ve found that if you’re able to create shared understanding within the cross-functional team, through methods such as Obeya and senior leadership decision support criteria, the team can collaboratively determine which tasks should be prioritized and which can be deprioritized. Once the team is aligned, they can present their decision, along with the relevant risks and impact of their decision to senior leadership to ensure alignment.

Focus and prioritize the tasks you’re best at and delegate the remaining task as best as possible. I’ve found that a lot of the tasks I was taking on could be completed by anyone.

The items in this list are easy, yet so many fail to follow them. People get distracted by everyday chores, drown in meetings, get stressed by deadlines. You need to push back. Advocate and fight for lean processes, only the least amount necessary. Otherwise you might find yourself having a meeting to schedule a meeting. Focus on the result, tell everyone what the result looks like, align the team and the stakeholders. It is really simple, but alas not easy.