# How do you arbitrate between IT projects?

> Arbitrating between IT projects: value criteria, available capacity, what-if scenarios, and committee decision. A five-step method.

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## How do you arbitrate between competing IT projects?

You arbitrate between IT projects by confronting each project's value with available capacity: score projects on shared criteria (value, risk, urgency), see what net capacity allows you to start, then compare scenarios before deciding in committee. Without reliable capacity, trade-offs are endured rather than decided.

## Five-step method

- Set shared criteria: business value, risk, urgency or regulatory deadline, effort.

- Compute net available capacity per team and skill.

- Rank the projects and see how far capacity lets you go.

- Simulate scenarios: postpone, spread, reinforce, or outsource.

- Decide in committee, record the decision, and review it at regular intervals.

## Common mistakes

- Arbitrating on value without looking at capacity.

- Accepting everything and letting overload do the sorting.

- Not recording decisions, so challenging them at every committee.

- Forgetting run work in available capacity.

## In Workload

1. Review net capacity and conflicts per team.
2. Create what-if scenarios without touching the live plan.
3. Present the capacity pack to the steering committee.
4. Apply the decision and track planned vs actual.

## FAQ

### Which criteria should you use?

Business value, risk, urgency or regulatory obligation, and effort. They should be shared and scored the same way for every project.

### How often should you arbitrate?

At each portfolio committee, often monthly or quarterly, and whenever a major event changes capacity.

### Do you need a PPM to arbitrate?

Not necessarily: a reliable capacity view and scenarios are enough to arbitrate on capacity; a PPM adds financial governance.

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