Prioritization and Dependencies

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.

Key Behaviors

  • Reorders tasks based on urgency, scope, or impact with minimal input
  • Flags when new information changes the priority landscape
  • Communicates clearly about progress and blockers
  • Identifies dependencies early and coordinates with relevant people
  • Adjusts personal plan when team priorities shift

Common Struggles

  • May overcommit or under-scope work due to lack of clarity
  • Might delay asking for help until priorities become tangled
  • Can misjudge the downstream impact of missed dependencies

Success Indicators

You know you're successful when you:

  • Proactively manage your own work in the context of team priorities
  • Coordinate with others to ensure handoffs and dependencies are smooth
  • Speak up when priorities feel unclear or unachievable
  • Make tradeoffs between scope, quality, and speed based on goals

Mindset Shift

From:

"I manage my priorities well."

To:

"I help others make better prioritization decisions too."

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • What's the highest-impact thing I could do this week?
  • Who else is depending on me—and am I aligned with their expectations?
  • What would I change about the team's current plan if I had full say?

Build These Habits

  • 1
    Document and update your task plan, including priorities and blockers
  • 2
    Communicate proactively when things change
  • 3
    Look ahead to uncover risks, delays, or dependencies

Seek Feedback

  • "Did I flag this dependency early enough?"
  • "Would you have prioritized this differently?"
  • "Is there anything I'm missing that could affect our delivery?"

Signals You're Ready to Level Up

  • You're trusted to drive your own tasks from planning to delivery
  • Others rely on your prioritization judgment
  • You help reduce surprises by managing dependencies well

Focus Summary

  • Take initiative
  • Think ahead
  • Prioritize with purpose

At Level 2, you're learning how to think like a project manager for your own scope. You bring clarity, reduce confusion, and help the team move faster—not by doing more, but by doing the right things.