How do we compare very different projects fairly?

Incomparable investment proposals

Use common decision dimensions while respecting different purposes and constraints. Mandatory work, experimentation, and commercial growth may need distinct decision tracks rather than one simplistic ranking.

What to do now

Classify the investment purpose
Agree comparable evidence within each class
Assess shared capacity and risk
Make cross-class trade-offs explicitly

Recommended action flow for incomparable investment proposals: Classify the investment purpose then Agree comparable evidence within each class then Assess shared capacity and risk then Make cross-class trade-offs explicitly. Escalate when a scoring model overrides mandatory obligations or hides important differences.

When to escalate

Escalate when

A scoring model overrides mandatory obligations or hides important differences.

Who decides

The portfolio decision authority

Example

Compliance work is evaluated for proportionate fulfillment while growth experiments are assessed for learning and potential value.

Mistake to avoid

Ranking every initiative solely by estimated financial return.

Prevent a repeat

Review whether active commitments fit available capacity and current priorities rather than just tracking project counts.

Suggested ApprovedFlow setup

Projects
Resources
Documents
Approvals

Use project and capacity records to support portfolio decisions, then record approved priorities and consequences explicitly. See the platform