Prioritize epics

Prioritization is the practice of using the Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) formula to identify what work is most important to work on in your next program increment. An epic can have a unique WSJF value for each PI it is planned for.

You can prioritize a single epic from its details panel, as well as prioritize multiple epics from the epic prioritization page.

Prioritize an epic from its details panel

To calculate WSJF and prioritize an epic, open its details panel. You can do this by selecting an epic’s hyperlinked name from many pages, including Epics, Epic Backlog, and various reports.

From the main tab of the epic’s details panel:

1. For the PI you want to set WSJF for, select the value to the right of the [PI name] WSFJ Prioritization field. A new window displays.
   
2. Beginning with the Set Business Value tab, select a value in the dropdown menu to the right of the epic’s name.
   
3. Select the next tab to the right, Set Time Value, and enter a value in the dropdown.
4. Repeat step 3 for the Set RR/OE Value and Set Job Size tabs.
5. Select the View Calculations tab to understand how your entries have generated a WSJF score.
6. If desired, set the global rank of the epic based on the WSJF score by selecting the Apply rank to Global Ranking button.
7. Select the X in the upper-right corner to close the WSFJ window.
8. Your WSJF score is now visible next to the [PI name] WSFJ Prioritization field.

Prioritize multiple epics from the epic prioritization page

To prioritize multiple epics, first navigate to the epics page:

1. Select Portfolios in the top navigation bar and select the portfolio you want to view epics for.
   
2. On the sidebar, select Epics in the list of options; the epics page displays.

Next, navigate to the epic prioritization page and select your view and filters:

1. On the epics page, select Prioritization from the More Actions menu at the top of the page.
2. The Epic Prioritization page displays. The page has two options, List View (default) and Column View. Select the Column/List View button at the top of the page to change to the other view.
3. From either view, use the Program Increment dropdown to select which PI you are setting a WSJF score for
4. Use the Program dropdown to narrow the list of epics displayed by program assignment.
5. To set additional filters, select the plus, +, icon to the right of the Program dropdown.

Note: To access the epic prioritization page, you must have the Team > Manage > Estimation permission enabled for your system role. 

Prioritize in List View

Epics in the selected PI and program are displayed on the page as rows. For each row:

1. Select values in the Business Value, Time Value, RR/OE Value, and Job Size dropdowns.
2. The WSJF Score column will update once values in step 1 are entered.
3. If desired, select Yes or No in the MVP dropdown to indicate if the epic is a minimum viable product.
4. Select the Manage Backlog button in the upper-right corner to navigate to the Epic Backlog page.

Prioritize in Column View

Epics in the selected PI and program are displayed on the page as cards. Available scores for the WSJF attribute are displayed as columns.  

1. Use the Business Value, Time Value, RR/OE Value, and Job Size buttons above the board to change what WSJF attribute you’re setting. A new board displays for each attribute.
2. For each WSJF attribute, drag an epic card to a column to set the value. 
3. Select the WSJF Score Preview button to see WSJF totals for epics that have been prioritized. An epic must have values set for all WSJF attributes to display a score. 
4. Select the List View button to return to the standard list view. Your scores from the column view will be displayed and can be edited further. 
5. Select the Manage Backlog button in the upper-right corner to navigate to the epic backlog page.