Prioritization and Dependencies

At Level 1, prioritization is mostly about awareness and guidance. You're still learning to break down work, understand what matters most, and recognize when tasks depend on others or have blockers. You lean heavily on your team and manager to help shape your focus. You may not yet be expected to juggle competing demands, but you're beginning to understand that not all work is equal—and you're eager to learn how to choose the right things to work on.

At Level 2, you're beginning to take ownership of your own priorities. You don't just follow a plan—you help shape it by speaking up when things don't make sense, updating it when things change, and clarifying what matters most for your work. You understand how your tasks contribute to team goals and make basic tradeoffs when time or capacity is limited. You're getting better at spotting dependencies and coordinating with others so that work flows more smoothly.

At Level 3, prioritization becomes a collaborative and contextual act. You not only manage your own scope—you help others stay aligned and adjust to changing priorities. You look across the team, product, or initiative to ensure that what's being worked on reflects current needs, constraints, and opportunities. You manage dependencies across teams, anticipate blockers before they hit, and make tradeoffs visible so teams can deliver the most value with the time they have.

At Level 4, prioritization requires a deep understanding of both business objectives and technical realities. You balance long-term strategic goals with short-term constraints, advocating for focus, clarity, and alignment across teams and departments. You are regularly involved in shaping cross-team priorities and bringing clarity to complex tradeoffs. You don't just react to shifting plans—you influence them. You translate business needs into actionable priorities, uncover hidden dependencies, and help diverse teams stay coordinated.

At Level 5, you shape how prioritization happens at scale. You influence organizational strategy through clarity of focus, and create the conditions for others to consistently make sound prioritization decisions. You lead not just through what you prioritize, but through how you help others do the same. Your work makes complex tradeoffs legible across functions. You surface hidden tensions and enable coherent, resilient prioritization across time horizons, teams, and stakeholders. You advocate for values-aligned decisions that balance urgency, impact, and sustainability.