Portfolio & Use Cases ยท POR-02
Agreed prioritisation criteria
Proposed uses of AI are ranked against published criteria covering value, feasibility, risk, cost and strategic fit, applied the same way to every proposal.
Why it matters
Demand for AI work usually exceeds the capacity to deliver it. Published criteria make choices explainable, stop the loudest voice winning, and keep the portfolio aligned with what the organisation is trying to achieve.
Levels
| 0 Absent | Confirmed absent: the evidence shows nothing is in place. Not known is recorded as insufficient evidence, not 0. |
|---|---|
| 1 Initial | Proposals are chosen by preference, enthusiasm or who is asking. |
| 2 Developing | Criteria exist but are informal, unpublished, or applied differently by different teams. |
| 3 Defined | Approved, published criteria covering value, feasibility, risk, cost and strategic fit are applied to every proposal, with scoring and decisions recorded. |
| 4 Managed | Consistency of scoring is checked, and the realised value and cost of chosen uses are compared with their scores to test the criteria. |
| 5 Optimising | Criteria and weightings are adjusted from portfolio outcomes and changes in strategy, and the effect of each change is reviewed. |
Level 3 criteria
Level 3 is met when every applicable criterion is met. Criteria marked with an overlay apply only to organisations with that characteristic (overlays).
- POR-02.1 Approved prioritisation criteria cover value, feasibility, risk, cost and strategic fit.
- POR-02.2 The prioritisation criteria are published.
- POR-02.3 The criteria are applied to every proposal.
- POR-02.4 The scoring and decision for each proposal are recorded.
Assessment questions
- What criteria decide which proposals go ahead, and where are they published?
- Can you show how a recent proposal was scored and why it was or was not chosen?
- Have chosen uses delivered what their scores suggested?
- The published prioritisation criteria and scoring method
- Scoring records for a sample of recent proposals
How to reach Level 3
- Draft prioritisation criteria covering value, feasibility, risk, cost and strategic fit, with a simple scoring scale.
- Get the criteria approved and publish them so proposers know how they will be judged.
- Apply the criteria to every proposal and record the scores and decision in the pipeline register (POR-03).
Common pitfalls
- Letting senior sponsorship override the scores without recording why.
- Using criteria so complex that small proposals cannot be scored quickly.
Starter artefacts
- Prioritisation criteria and scoring sheet
Ownership and sequence
- Accountable
- ai governance lead
- Contributors
- executive sponsor, business owner, risk lead, delivery lead
- Depends on
- STR-01
- Roadmap step
- 3
- Lifecycle
- strategy, design
Cross-references
| MITRE AI Maturity Model | P6.1 partial |
|---|---|
| UNESCO AI Maturity Framework | 1.2 direct; 1.4 direct |
direct: this control at Level 3 meets the item. partial: it covers part of it.