---
title: TOP Thinking on | Prioritization
description: Prioritization | For more than three decades, we have been challenging the orthodox thinking about strategy and project execution in our TOP Thinking blog.
---
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# TOP Thinking on
#### [How Do You Prioritise 'Mandatory' Projects?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-do-you-prioritize-mandatory-projects)
Assessing a project’s strategic relevance and contribution is actually the second question you need to ask when prioritizing a project. The first question is, “Is this mandatory?”
#### [Project Prioritization Process - An Indicator of Management's Quality?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-prioritization-process-an-indicator-of-managements-quality)
Your project prioritization process determines your future competitiveness and results. Excellent organizations demand an excellent prioritization process.
#### [How Do You Measure Your Project's Strategic Contribution?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-do-you-measure-your-projects-strategic-contribution)
Every project must measure its strategic contribution as the first element of project prioritization.
#### [Potential Threats To Portfolio Management Offices - 1 Investment Management Processes](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/potential-threats-to-portfolio-management-offices-1-investment-management-processes)
When project/program investment management processes are disconnected from the project portfolio management processes, up to 80% of the project portfolio can be strategically irrelevant!
#### [The Project Portfolio Mix - "Smart Idea" Or Hoax?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-portfolio-mix-hoax)
The notion of a 'balanced portfolio mix' is a hoax. Your project portfolio needs to demonstrably deliver your strategy. It really is that simple.
#### [Just What Is The Portfolio Management Office Accountable For?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/just-what-is-the-portfolio-management-office-accountable-for)
The role of the portfolio management office may be known, but what exactly is it accountable for? The answer may surprise you
#### [Project Prioritization Is Simple](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-prioritization-simple)
Many organizations struggle with how to prioritize their projects - how to objectively select the highest priority projects that are strategically relevant, worthwhile, doable and which are required to be done now. Yet project prioritisation is really quite simple.
#### [How To Ensure Every Investment Is Contributing To Your Strategy](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/how-to-ensure-every-investment-is-contributing-to-your-strategy)
How to simply but effectively score each project's strategic contribution and relevance and visibly manage your strategy's execution
#### [TOP's Four Lens Perspective On Projects 4 - Technical Control](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/the-four-lens-approach-to-project-delivery-part-4)
Each of the project, business and executive roles, timeframes and measures of success on project delivery are different
#### [The Continuing Need For Effective Project Prioritization](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/continuing-need-for-project-prioritization)
In a sea of change do we need to change how we approach projects or just perform better? If we're doing what we should be doing, we can deliver value
#### [When Do You Decide To Stop Funding A Project?](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/when-do-you-decide-to-stop-funding-a-project)
A set of criteria to equip management to avoid pouring good money after bad by knowing when to stop funding a project or program.
#### [The Project Evaluation Model](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/project-evaluation-model)
6: The Evaluation Model
#### [Be Afraid, Very Afraid!](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/be-afraid-very-afraid)
Be Afraid, Very afraid!
### TOPics
- [Benefits Management (29)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/benefits-management)
- [Business Case (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-case)
- [Business Simplification (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/business-simplification)
- [Capability Development (38)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capability-development)
- [Capital Investment (24)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/capital-investment)
- [Change Management (17)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/change-management)
- [Consultants (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/consultants)
- [Costs and Waste (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/costs-and-waste)
- [Engineered Thinking/Ideas/Innovation (8)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/engineered-thinking-ideas-innovation)
- [Fifteen Critical Insights (15)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/fifteen-critical-insights)
- [Idea / Project Initiation (3)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/idea-project-initiation)
- [Mental Models, Beliefs and Myths (18)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/mental-models-beliefs-and-myths)
- [Outcomes Thinking (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/outcomes-thinking)
- [Path Dependency (10)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/path-dependency)
- [Prioritization (13)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/prioritization)
- [Process Management (11)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/process-management)
- [Productivity Improvement (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/productivity-improvement)
- [Program / Project delivery (40)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/program-project-delivery)
- [Project Controls (52)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-controls)
- [Project Governance (90)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-governance)
- [Project Management (4)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-management)
- [Project Success (46)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-success)
- [Project Validation (2)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/project-validation)
- [Risk Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/risk-management)
- [Scope Management (5)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/scope-management)
- [Standards/Frameworks/Methods (14)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/standards-frameworks-methods)
- [Strategic Project Portfolio Management (16)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategic-project-portfolio-management)
- [Strategy Execution (39)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/strategy-execution)
- [The TOP Four Lenses (1)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/the-top-four-lenses)
- [TOP compared to orthodox approaches (7)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/top-compared-to-orthodox-approaches)
- [Value Delivery (83)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-delivery)
- [Value Equation (60)](https://blog.totallyoptimizedprojects.com/top-thinking/topic/value-equation)
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