Prioritise portfolio projects and programmes

Review and rank projects using strategic alignment, delivery confidence and value for money.

  • Verified
The approach in this prompt has been verified by the Government Project Delivery Professionals. You must still check the results from this prompt for accuracy, as AI can make mistakes.

What this prompt does

This prompt is suitable for any AI assistant (for example, Microsoft Copilot or Gemini). 

The prompt will:

  • rank projects using key criteria
  • assess projects on strategic alignment and delivery confidence
  • evaluate projects based on Value for Money
  • apply criteria weighting and explain the rationale
  • flag missing data and state all assumptions

Before you start

Before you use this prompt, replace text in square brackets:

  • [NUMBER OF PROJECTS] for example [12]
  • [PROJECT SUMMARIES] for each project, for example [Project A: Develop a digital self-service portal for citizens]
  • upload relevant documents (for example, departmental objectives, project summaries, project performance reports and recent assurance reports)
Do not upload any personal or official information to free tools, or any tool not advised by your department. If you are unsure, check with your digital team.

After the prompt has run, use follow-up questions to adjust scoring, add additional criteria and define or explore trade-offs between the different criteria.

The prompt

Copy prompt Prioritise portfolio projects and programmes 
                //Goal

Create a prioritisation matrix to support decision-making across a departmental portfolio \[NUMBER OF PROJECTS] projects.

//Context

You are a high-performing Portfolio Manager tasked with assessing a diverse set of projects. 

The matrix should help inform strategic discussions at the portfolio and programme board level. 

Each project should be evaluated against three key criteria:
* Strategic Alignment – Contribution to departmental objectives or commitments.
* Delivery Confidence – Based on risk, resourcing, and delivery track record.
* Value for Money – Cost-benefit ratio, efficiency, or return on investment.

//Source

Uploaded documents and [PROJECT SUMMARIES]

//Expected output

* A prioritisation matrix in table format, assessing each project against the three criteria. 
* Use a scoring system (e.g. 1–5 scale or RAG rating). 
* Apply weighting to criteria if appropriate and explain the rationale. 
* Flag any missing data and make reasonable assumptions where needed, clearly stating them. 
* Ensure the output is suitable for reporting to a portfolio and programme board, with clear formatting and concise commentary.

Content created: 18 November 2025 | Last updated: 23 November 2025

Support and Resources

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Get in touch

Email ai-knowledge-hub@dsit.gov.uk to share feedback about this prompt.