How we prioritise requests when everything is urgent
The rule that decides what gets done first when every request arrives marked urgent: stakes, then value, then order, with the business deciding ties.
The short answer
Every request arrives marked urgent, and when everything is urgent nothing is. The way out is a rule applied the same way every time. First, classify by the severity definitions agreed in advance, and if the agreement does not define them, agreeing them is the first step rather than a reason to skip the rule: a site or revenue path down, data at risk or a customer being harmed is critical and jumps everything, whoever asked. Then, among everything else, value against the business’s goals decides, then size, then the order requests arrived. The business decides ties and can reorder the queue whenever it likes; the partner classifies, sizes, advises and delivers. Urgent is a feeling; severity is a definition; the queue is where the two are reconciled in the open.
The rule, in order
| Step | Question | Who decides | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Severity | Is it critical or important by the table? | The table, applied by the partner | Critical is alerted at any hour and worked within the agreed window; important same business day |
| 2. Value | How much does it move the business’s goals? | The business, with the partner’s advice | Higher value higher in the queue |
| 3. Size | How much of the change budget does it take? | The partner | Small high-value items move up; large ones are scheduled |
| 4. Order | When did it arrive? | The queue | Ties broken by arrival |
| 5. Override | Does the business want it elsewhere? | The business | Reordered visibly; something else moves |
Running the queue
- Every request enters one queue, from whatever channel it came through.
- The partner classifies it by the severity table and sizes it within a day.
- Critical and important items are handled per the table immediately.
- The rest are ordered by value, size and arrival, with the business’s owner of the queue confirming or changing the order.
- The queue is visible to both sides at all times.
- The monthly report shows what was done, in what order, and what moved.
What the business gains
Critical issues handled by definition, not by who noticed. A queue that reflects the business’s priorities rather than the last email. Visibility of what each choice displaces. A monthly record of what was done and why in that order. And the return of meaning to the word urgent, because it is now reserved for the things the table says it is.
What this means for you
Classify by severity first, then value, size and arrival, with your named owner able to reorder visibly and the partner classifying, sizing and delivering. Keep the queue visible and the reorders in the report. Requests will still arrive marked urgent; the rule decides what that means, and everyone can see it.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides what is urgent?
The severity definitions decide what is critical and important, where the agreement sets them out in advance with examples. For everything else, the business decides the order of the queue, with the partner supplying sizes and advice on value. What the partner does not do is let whoever emailed last, or loudest, set the order for everyone.
What if a director says something is urgent?
Then it goes into the queue with its severity classified by the table and its position set by whoever owns the queue for the business, who may well move it to the top. What changes is that the move is visible: something else moves down, and the report shows it. Urgency by rank is legitimate when it is a choice; it is corrosive when it is invisible.
How do you handle a genuinely urgent request that is not in the table?
The table has examples, not an exhaustive list, and a new kind of critical issue is classified by its effect: is the site or a revenue path down, is data at risk, is a customer being harmed now. If yes, it is critical and handled as such. If the urgency is a deadline rather than a failure, it is a queue position decision, made by the business.