ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1
2
#VALUE!FIELD + FRAME STRATEGY
3
STRATEGIC PROJECT PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
A decision-support tool for comparing projects by strategic value, implementation burden, and risk of inaction.
4
5
DESIGNED FOR + USE THIS WHEN
6
DESIGNED FORExecutives, senior teams, chiefs of staff, program leaders, and strategy or communications leaders helping organizations sort competing priorities.
7
USE THIS WHENYour project queue is full and decisions about what to start, pause, or deprioritize need a shared basis.
A new project enters the queue and needs to be evaluated against what is already in motion.
Leadership needs a defensible, evidence-grounded way to say yes, no, or not yet.
8
NOT FORDetailed project planning, budget approval, or performance tracking. This tool surfaces the prioritization conversation. Other tools handle execution.
9
10
FIELD + FRAME lens
11
A project is not strategic because it is visible, urgent, or already underway.
It is strategic because it produces a meaningful organizational outcome
that someone is accountable for tracking.
12
13
14
HOW SCORING WORKS
15
STRATEGIC VALUE (Y-axis)Score each project on five questions about alignment, expected outcome, breadth of impact, evidence of success, and decision relevance. Higher = stronger case for action.
16
IMPLEMENTATION BURDEN (X-axis)Score each project on five questions about ownership burden, coordination complexity, communication and change burden, cost and capacity demands, and scope uncertainty. Higher = harder to execute.
All five questions are oriented so that 5 always means more difficulty, not more readiness.
17
RISK OF INACTION (bubble size)A single judgment score (1–5) representing what the organization risks if this project is delayed or not pursued. Bigger bubble = higher cost of inaction. Entered separately; not included in either axis score.
18
SCORING SCALE1 = Very Low 2 = Low 3 = Moderate 4 = High 5 = Very High
Use whole numbers. Scores are averaged within each dimension.
19
20
THE FOUR QUADRANTS
21
MOVE NOWHigh Strategic Value + Low Implementation Burden
Strong case for action. Manageable effort. Move these to the front of the queue.
22
PLAN AND RESOURCEHigh Strategic Value + High Implementation Burden
Worth doing, but not without deliberate sequencing, dedicated resources, and realistic timelines.
23
CONSIDER LATERLow Strategic Value + Low Implementation Burden
Easy enough to do, but not clearly strategic right now. Revisit when priorities shift or capacity opens.
24
RECONSIDERLow Strategic Value + High Implementation Burden
High burden without enough strategic return. These projects should be challenged before resources are committed.
25
26
FIELD + FRAME lens
27
A project in Move Now with a large bubble is your clearest priority.
A project in Reconsider with a large bubble is your most urgent conversation.
The chart does not make the decision. It makes the tradeoffs visible.
28
29
30
STEP BY STEP
31
STEP 1Go to the Project Scoring tab. It is the only tab you need to modify.
32
STEP 2Enter each project's name, sponsor/owner, outcome owner, 12-month outcome, and evidence of success.
33
STEP 3Score each project on the five Strategic Value questions (1–5 each).
34
STEP 4Score each project on the five Implementation Burden questions (1–5 each).
35
STEP 5Enter a Risk of Inaction score (1–5) for each project.
36
STEP 6Go to the Priority Chart tab to see where each project plots.
37
STEP 7Use the chart to facilitate a prioritization conversation. The quadrant is a starting point, not a verdict.
38
39
A project is not strategic because it gets completed. It is strategic because something important changes after it is delivered.
Need help prioritizing projects when everything feels important?
Field + Frame Strategy works with leadership teams to clarify outcomes, assess tradeoffs, sequence priorities, and build decision tools that support focus, accountability, and follow-through.
www.fieldframestrategy.com
40
41
Field + Frame Strategy | Turning evidence into decisions that matter | fieldframestrategy.com
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100