How priorities work
Fill-first algorithm
The system allocates capacity using a “fill-first” approach:1
Sort by priority
All scheduled items sorted by priority (lower number = higher priority)
2
Allocate sequentially
Starting with highest priority, allocate as much capacity as possible
3
Track across days
Multi-day items track remaining minutes across multiple days
4
Fill to capacity
Continue until daily capacity is reached
5
Queue remainder
Items without capacity marked as “queued”
Priority tiers
The five tiers
| Tier | Priority Range | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-99 | Help desk tickets | Client reported a bug |
| 2 | 100-199 | Work-in-progress multi-day items | Task started Monday, still working Wednesday |
| 3 | 200-299 | Single-day items starting today | 2hr task scheduled for today only |
| 4 | 300-399 | New multi-day items starting today | 8hr task starting today, ends tomorrow |
| 5 | 400+ | Future items | Items starting after today |
Tier 1: Help desk tickets
Always highest priority:- Range: 1-99
- Covers urgent client issues
- Should be addressed immediately
- Can only be deprioritized explicitly by PM
- Client impact is immediate
- Often blocking client work
- Demonstrates responsiveness
- Builds client trust
Tier 2: Work-in-progress multi-day items
Priority for continuity:- Range: 100-199
- Items that started before today
- Priority calculated:
100 + (99 - daysSinceStart) - Earlier start = higher priority
- Person already has context
- Switching tasks wastes time
- Completing in-progress work first
- Maintains flow state
- Task started 5 days ago: priority = 194
- Task started 2 days ago: priority = 197
- Earlier start gets slightly higher priority
Tier 3: Single-day items starting today
Medium priority:- Range: 200-299
- Tasks that fit within one working day
- Start and end today
- Priority:
200 + index
- Can be completed today
- No multi-day coordination needed
- Lower context switching cost
Tier 4: New multi-day items starting today
Lower priority:- Range: 300-399
- Tasks starting today but spanning multiple days
- Priority:
300 + index
- Will have tomorrow to continue
- Let single-day items complete first
- Reduces partial completions
Tier 5: Future items
Lowest priority:- Range: 400+
- Items starting after today
- Display only (shouldn’t get capacity today)
- Priority:
400 + index
- Not meant to start yet
- Future dates for reference
- Get capacity on their start date
Explicit vs calculated priority
Calculated priority (default)
Most items use calculated priority:- System determines tier based on dates and type
- Automatically adjusts as days pass
- No manual intervention needed
Explicit priority (PM override)
PMs can set explicit priority:- Drag-and-drop to reorder within a day
- Sets a fixed priority number
- Overrides calculated priority
- Persists until changed
Explicit priorities are set when PMs drag-and-drop tasks in the day breakdown. The new order is saved and maintained even as days change.
Priority calculation examples
Example 1: Typical day
Wednesday schedule for Developer:| Item | Type | Start Date | Priority | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug fix ticket | Help Desk | Tuesday | 15 | Tier 1 (Help Desk) |
| Navigation feature | Subtask | Monday | 197 | Tier 2 (WIP, started 2 days ago) |
| Header styling | Subtask | Wednesday | 200 | Tier 3 (Single-day, today) |
| Checkout flow | Subtask | Wednesday | 300 | Tier 4 (Multi-day, starts today) |
- Bug fix: 2h allocated (2h remaining)
- Navigation: 4h allocated (2.5h remaining)
- Header styling: 2h allocated (0.5h remaining)
- Checkout flow: 0.5h allocated (6h remaining, will continue tomorrow)
Example 2: With explicit priority
After PM reorders: PM moves “Header styling” above “Navigation feature” via drag-and-drop.| Item | Type | Explicit Priority | New Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bug fix ticket | Help Desk | 15 | 1st (unchanged) |
| Header styling | Subtask | 150 | 2nd (moved up) |
| Navigation feature | Subtask | 151 | 3rd (moved down) |
| Checkout flow | Subtask | 300 | 4th (unchanged) |
Auto-scheduling recommendations
For help desk tickets
When scheduling help desk tickets, the system recommends assignees based on:Work Type Match
Developer for bugs, Designer for design issues, QA for testing
Capacity Available
Team members with available capacity
Engagement Type
Retainer team prioritized over project team
Impact
Least disruption to existing schedules
Recommendation factors
The system calculates:- Hours of work pushed - How much existing work would be delayed
- Number of tasks affected - How many items would be rescheduled
- Deadline risks - Whether deadlines would be missed
- Team preference - Retainer vs project assignments
- Grouped by engagement type (Retainer / Project / Other)
- Sorted by impact (least disruption first)
- Shows capacity impact for each option
Conflict detection
When conflicts occur
Conflicts arise when:- Scheduling new work overlaps existing scheduled work
- Available capacity is insufficient
- Multiple items compete for same time
How conflicts are detected
1
Check date ranges
Identify overlapping date ranges
2
Calculate impact
Determine how many days overlap (working days only)
3
Simulate rescheduling
Calculate new end dates for affected items
4
Sort by priority
Show which items would be pushed (lower priority first)
Conflict resolution
Conflict dialog shows:- List of affected tasks
- Current end dates
- New end dates (after push)
- Number of days pushed
- Suggested conflict-free start date
- Use suggested date - Schedule on recommended conflict-free date
- Push and schedule anyway - Accept the conflicts and reschedule affected items
- Cancel - Don’t schedule, find alternative
Protected priorities
Help desk tickets are protected:- System tries not to push help desk tickets
- If unavoidable, warns explicitly
- Requires confirmation to proceed
Capacity-based prioritization
Daily capacity limits
The system respects daily capacity:- Developers: 6.5 hours (390 minutes)
- Other roles: 7.5 hours (450 minutes)
- Role-based capacity applied automatically
- Reduced by leave or holidays
- Hard limit (cannot exceed)
Allocation process
Within capacity limits:- Help desk tickets allocated first
- WIP items get priority
- New work fills remaining capacity
- Excess work marked “queued”
Queued items
Items without capacity:- Shown as “Queued” status
- 0 hours allocated
- Still scheduled for the day
- Will get capacity when higher priority items complete
Queued status helps identify capacity bottlenecks. If many items are queued, either reduce work or increase capacity.
Adjusting priorities
When to adjust
Consider adjusting priorities when:- Client urgency changes
- Deadlines shift
- Dependencies require different order
- Team member expertise needed
- Strategic importance changes
How to adjust
1
Open day breakdown
Click allocation badge for the day
2
Drag to reorder
Drag items to new position using grip handle
3
Confirm if needed
Confirm if moving help desk below subtasks
4
Verify impact
Check if reordering creates capacity issues
Best practices for adjusting
Use sparingly
Let system handle most prioritization automatically
Document reasons
Add comments explaining priority overrides
Respect help desk
Keep help desk tickets at top unless critical exception
Consider dependencies
Don’t prioritize items that depend on incomplete work
Monitor impact
Watch for cascade effects on other days
Communicate changes
Inform team when changing their priorities
Best practices
Trust the system
Default priorities work well for most situations
Complete help desk first
Always prioritize client-facing issues
Finish started work
WIP items should complete before starting new work
Watch for queued items
Queued items indicate capacity problems
Don't over-schedule
Avoid scheduling beyond realistic capacity
Review weekly
Check priorities at start of each week