diegosouzapw Priority System
Purpose: Know what to do and in what order. When to trigger: After identification, when planning, or when facing multiple options.
Prioritization Framework
Step 1: Categorize by Impact
Critical - Immediate attention required
- Blocks users completely
- Causes data loss or corruption
- Security vulnerability
- Prevents revenue
High - Important, do soon
- Major UX degradation
- Key feature broken
- Significant performance issue
- Blocks other work
Medium - Should do
- Quality of life improvements
- Tech debt with growing cost
- Minor feature gaps
- Developer experience issues
Low - Nice to have
- Polish and refinement
- Minor optimizations
- Cosmetic improvements
- Future-proofing
Step 2: Assess Effort
| Level | Time | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Quick | < 30 min | Fix typo, add missing null check, update copy |
| Small | < 2 hours | Add new component, fix bug with clear cause |
| Medium | < 1 day | New feature, refactor module, integration work |
| Large | Multi-day | Major feature, architecture change, migration |
Step 3: Apply Priority Matrix
| Quick | Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | DO NOW | DO NOW | DO NOW | Plan & Start |
| High | DO NOW | Next | Next | Plan |
| Medium | Next | Queue | Queue | Backlog |
| Low | Queue | Backlog | Backlog | Skip/Defer |
Step 4: Check Dependencies
Before finalizing order:
- What must happen before this task?
- What does completing this unblock?
- Are there resource constraints?
- What's the cost of delay?
Reorder based on dependencies - a Medium task that unblocks 3 High tasks moves up.
Step 5: Sequence for Flow
Group related work together:
- Fix all issues in one file before moving to the next
- Complete a feature end-to-end before starting another
- Address blocking issues before blocked ones
Output Requirements
Update SOURCE_OF_TRUTH.md with prioritized list:
## Current Priority Stack
### DO NOW (This Session)
1. [ ] [Critical/Quick] Fix auth crash on login - blocks all users
2. [ ] [Critical/Small] Patch XSS in comments - security issue
### NEXT (Soon)
3. [ ] [High/Small] Add error boundary to dashboard
4. [ ] [High/Medium] Implement retry logic for API calls
### QUEUE (This Week)
5. [ ] [Medium/Small] Refactor keyword fetching
6. [ ] [Medium/Medium] Add loading skeletons
### BACKLOG (Future)
7. [ ] [Low/Large] Rewrite onboarding flow
8. [ ] [Low/Medium] Add dark mode
Also create focused todo list using TodoWrite for the current session.
Rules
- Impact over effort - A critical issue is always more important than easy wins
- Dependencies first - Unblock before building
- Be ruthless - Not everything needs to be done now
- Revisit regularly - Priorities change as context changes
- Limit WIP - Maximum 2-3 items in "DO NOW" at once
Decision Helpers
When two items seem equal:
- Which affects more users?
- Which has been waiting longer?
- Which aligns with current goal?
- Which reduces future work?
When everything feels critical:
- Step back and reassess with fresh eyes
- Ask: "What's the ONE thing that matters most right now?"
- Consider: What would a user notice first?
Transition
After prioritization:
- Top priorities clear → Proceed to Execution System
- Blocked by unknowns → Return to Clarity System
- Need to understand issues better → Return to Identity System
This is System 3 of 5: Clarity → Identity → Priority → Execution → Reset