Manage resources and priorities

Definition

Bringing a project to completion with limited resources — time, means, energy — through breaking down, realistic planning, prioritisation and trade-offs. The unglamorous competency that separates finished projects from perpetual drafts.

Components

• Breaking down into milestones: turning a distant objective into dated stages
• Realistic estimation: how long things actually take
• Prioritisation: important against urgent, cost against impact
• Progress tracking: knowing where you stand without lying to yourself
• Handling the unexpected: replanning without abandoning everything
• Letting go: saying no, deprioritising, dropping what has to be dropped

The four levels

1. N1 Discovery Lower secondary · complete beginner

   Is able to break a project into dated stages and to meet the first deadline.

   Evidence of assessment

   Draw up a simple reverse schedule for a project and deliver the first stage on the planned date.

2. N2 Application Upper secondary · advanced beginner

   Is able to prioritise between competing tasks and to justify the trade-offs made.

   Evidence of assessment

   Apply a prioritisation matrix to a real project and explain the trade-offs made.

3. N3 Adaptation Tertiary · junior professional

   Is able to steer a complete project within its constraints and to replan when the unexpected occurs.

   Evidence of assessment

   Deliver a project with progress tracking and at least one documented replanning.

4. N4 Orchestration Experienced professional

   Is able to steer several projects and contributors in parallel with shared management tools.

   Evidence of assessment

   Present a multi-project management dashboard maintained over three months.