Explain why sequencing by cost of delay produces better economic outcomes than arrival-order prioritisation.
Project Management
Prioritising Projects and Backlogs Using Cost of Delay
Apply cost of delay and weighted shortest job first techniques to prioritise projects and backlog items objectively when demand exceeds delivery capacity.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Portfolios and backlogs routinely carry more approved work than capacity allows, and sequencing by seniority, the loudest stakeholder or simple arrival order quietly destroys economic value that a more disciplined method would protect. This course equips product owners, portfolio managers and business analysts to sequence work by measurable value instead. It covers quantifying cost of delay from user-business value, time criticality and risk reduction, applying weighted shortest job first to rank work by value divided by duration, and communicating prioritisation decisions transparently to stakeholders whose items rank lower than they expected. Teaching runs through worked cost-of-delay calculations on realistic backlog examples and facilitation practice for prioritisation workshops, including how to spot estimate gaming. Participants leave with a cost-of-delay scoring model ready to apply to a live backlog or portfolio.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Quantify cost of delay components covering business value, time criticality and risk reduction.
Calculate weighted shortest job first scores to sequence competing projects or backlog items.
Facilitate prioritisation workshops that surface honest value and cost estimates from stakeholders.
Communicate prioritisation decisions transparently to stakeholders whose items rank lower.
Recalculate priorities as new information, deadlines or dependencies emerge during delivery.
Recognise the limits of cost-of-delay scoring and where qualitative judgement should override it.
Who Should Attend
Product owners and backlog owners managing more demand than the team can deliver.
Portfolio managers sequencing competing projects across a constrained delivery pipeline.
Business analysts supporting prioritisation workshops with quantitative estimation techniques.
Programme managers operating within scaled agile frameworks that use WSJF.
PMO analysts responsible for portfolio prioritisation reporting and governance.
Team leads seeking objective ways to resolve competing stakeholder priority claims.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Why Sequencing by Value Matters
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1The Cost of Getting Prioritisation Wrong
- Explain the economic cost of sequencing by arrival order, seniority or stakeholder volume.
- Illustrate how delaying high-value, quick items behind low-value, slow items destroys value.
- Introduce cost of delay as a way to express the economic impact of waiting.
- Assess your current prioritisation practice against a cost-of-delay perspective.
Session 2Components of Cost of Delay
- Break cost of delay into user-business value, time criticality and risk reduction or opportunity enablement.
- Distinguish time-critical items with hard deadlines from those with gradually decaying value.
- Identify risk-reduction items whose value lies in avoiding future cost rather than direct benefit.
- Gather input from business stakeholders to estimate each cost-of-delay component honestly.
02Calculating and Applying WSJF
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Estimating Job Size and Duration
- Estimate job size or duration using relative sizing techniques consistent with existing estimation practice.
- Reconcile job size estimates from different teams or contributors before applying a common formula.
- Handle uncertainty in duration estimates through ranges rather than false precision.
- Document estimation assumptions so scores can be revisited as more information emerges.
Session 2Calculating and Ranking WSJF Scores
- Calculate weighted shortest job first scores by dividing cost of delay by job duration.
- Rank competing projects or backlog items using calculated scores as a starting sequence.
- Adjust rankings for hard dependencies that constrain the order regardless of calculated score.
- Present ranked results in a format stakeholders can review and challenge constructively.
03Facilitating Honest Prioritisation Workshops
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Running a Cost-of-Delay Estimation Workshop
- Design a workshop structure that elicits comparative rather than absolute value estimates.
- Use relative scoring techniques to reduce anchoring and social pressure during group estimation.
- Manage strong personalities who dominate value discussions and skew group estimates.
- Capture rationale behind estimates to support later review and stakeholder communication.
Session 2Communicating Prioritisation Decisions
- Explain deprioritisation decisions to stakeholders using transparent cost-of-delay reasoning.
- Prepare responses to common objections about fairness, urgency and executive sponsorship.
- Distinguish between deferring an item and rejecting it outright in stakeholder communication.
- Document prioritisation decisions for audit and future portfolio review purposes.
04Sustaining and Refining the Model
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Recalculating Priorities as Conditions Change
- Recalculate cost-of-delay scores when new deadlines, dependencies or information emerge.
- Set a review cadence for backlog or portfolio reprioritisation aligned with planning cycles.
- Track how frequently priorities change to identify volatile areas needing closer estimation.
- Distinguish genuine re-prioritisation needs from stakeholder attempts to jump the queue.
Session 2Knowing the Limits of Quantitative Scoring
- Identify situations where qualitative judgement should override a calculated WSJF score.
- Recognise gaming behaviours where stakeholders inflate estimates to win priority.
- Combine cost-of-delay scoring with strategic alignment checks before finalising sequence.
- Review scoring model assumptions periodically to keep them credible with stakeholders.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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