---
title: 06. Priority and Effort
---

:::caution[Programme Sunset]
The open Mentorship Programme has been sunset and is no longer accepting new participants. These pages remain available as reference material.

I'm now running a private, personalised professional development programme on an invite-only basis - hand-selecting a small number of participants so the shape of each journey can be built around them. There is no application process; participation is by direct invitation only.

Being active in my [Discord community](https://chat.nhcarrigan.com/) increases your chances of being invited.
:::

**ESTABLISHING PRIORITY AND EFFORT ASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES FOR MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME PARTICIPANTS**

## 1. INTRODUCTION AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK

### 1.1. Policy Overview

This Priority and Effort Documentation (hereinafter referred to as "the Documentation") establishes mandatory procedures and requirements for priority and effort assignment within our Mentorship Programme. This Documentation operates within our comprehensive legal and policy framework, incorporating our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Community Code of Conduct, Mentorship Programme Terms and Conditions, and all applicable legal protections by reference.

### 1.2. Scope and Applicability

This Documentation applies to all participants in our Mentorship Programme following completion of technical breakdown procedures. All participants should complete the priority and effort assignment process set forth in this Documentation to proceed with development work.

**IMPORTANT: This is a self-guided process. You will assign priority and effort labels independently. No review or approval is required to proceed. For comprehensive information about the self-guided programme structure and how to get the most value from your mentorship experience, please refer to our [Mentorship Programme Terms and Conditions](/about/mentorship).**

## 2. LABEL CREATION AND ASSIGNMENT

### 2.1. Label Creation Requirement

**Mandatory Action:** You must create labels for your repository to indicate priority and effort levels.

**Label Creation Requirements:**
- Labels have NOT been pre-created for your repository
- You are responsible for creating all necessary labels
- No specific naming convention is enforced
- Labels should align with your organisational style and preferences

### 2.2. Required Label Types

**Mandatory Label Categories:**
There are two (2) required label categories that must be applied to each user story issue:

1. **Priority Labels:** Indicate the relative priority of each user story
2. **Effort Labels:** Indicate the estimated effort required to complete each user story

## 3. PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT

### 3.1. Priority Assignment Principles

**Priority Assignment Methodology:**
Assigning priority to user stories is based on dependency analysis, not personal preference or interest level.

**Prohibited Priority Factors:**
Priority should NOT be assigned based on:
- Personal interest or enjoyment in working on a particular feature
- Excitement level or enthusiasm for specific functionality
- Subjective preferences or individual motivations

**Required Priority Factors:**
Priority MUST be assigned based on:
- Dependency relationships between user stories
- Blocking relationships (which stories block other stories)
- Logical sequence requirements for feature development

### 3.2. Dependency Analysis Example

Consider the following user stories for priority assignment:

**User Stories:**
1. As an unauthenticated user, I should be able to create an account or sign in to my existing account
2. As an authenticated user, I should be able to customise my profile
3. As an authenticated user, I should be able to create a new post
4. As a user, I should be able to view someone's profile

**Dependency Analysis:**
- User story 1 blocks stories 2 and 3 (authentication is required for authenticated user features)
- User story 2 blocks story 4 (profile customisation must exist before profile viewing)
- Stories 2 and 3 do not block each other (they can be developed independently)

**Priority Assignment:**
- Issue 1: High priority (blocks multiple other stories)
- Issues 2 and 3: Medium priority (blocked by issue 1, but do not block each other)
- Issue 4: Low priority (blocked by issue 2)

### 3.3. Priority Label Requirements

**Label Purpose:**
Priority labels should enable you to quickly determine which user stories need to be completed next based on their blocking relationships.

**Label Flexibility:**
- How you name and assign priorities is at your discretion
- Labels should clearly indicate relative priority levels
- Priority labels should facilitate efficient work planning and scheduling

## 4. EFFORT ASSIGNMENT

### 4.1. Effort Assignment Principles

**Effort Definition:**
Effort labels indicate the estimated amount of work required to complete each user story.

**Effort Quantification Methods:**
- Different organisations use various methods for quantifying effort
- "Story points" are a common method for indicating effort levels
- You may choose any method that effectively communicates effort requirements

### 4.2. Effort Assignment Example

Using a points system, the following effort assignments might be appropriate for the example user stories:

**Effort Assignments:**
1. Five points (building out an entire authentication flow is very complex)
2. Three points
3. Three points
4. One point (showing a static page is less complex)

**Effort Label Flexibility:**
- How you label and quantify effort is at your discretion
- Effort labels should accurately reflect the relative complexity and work required
- Labels should facilitate effective work planning and time management

### 4.3. Effort Label Purpose

**Planning Benefits:**
The purpose of applying effort labels is to help plan work timelines and resource allocation. For example:

- If you have three high-priority tasks but limited time available
- You might choose to complete the lowest-effort task first
- This allows for progress even when time is restricted
- Effort labels help balance priority with available time and resources

## 5. LABEL COMPLETION

### 5.1. Completion Process

**No Review Required:**
- Once you have applied priority and effort labels to all user stories, you are ready to begin development work
- No review or approval is required to proceed
- Your labels are a planning tool that you can adjust as needed

**Optional Review:**
- If you would like feedback on your priority and effort assignments, you can:
  - Request review in the #⚗️│alchemy-lab channel in Discord
  - Ask community members or alumni for peer review
  - Review priority and effort examples in the resource library for comparison
- Reviews are optional and available upon request, not required

### 5.2. Next Steps

**Beginning Development:**
- Upon completing priority and effort assignments, you are ready to begin development work
- Development work should follow the procedures outlined in our [Contributing Documentation](/dev/contributing) and [Style Guide](/dev/style)
- You can always adjust your priority and effort labels as you learn more about your project

## 6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND DISCLAIMERS

### 6.1. Reference to Comprehensive Liability Framework

**IMPORTANT: Comprehensive liability limitations, damage exclusions, and maximum liability caps are set forth in our Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.**

### 6.2. Priority and Effort Assignment Disclaimer

This Documentation establishes priority and effort assignment procedures and requirements. However:

- Programme leadership reserves the right to modify these procedures at any time
- Priority and effort assignments are estimates created by participants and may change as development progresses
- Programme leadership is not responsible for participants' ability to complete work within estimated effort levels
- Individual results may vary based on participant skill, experience, and other factors
- Reviews and approvals are optional and available upon request

## 7. CONCLUSION

This Priority and Effort Documentation establishes the procedures and requirements for priority and effort assignment within our Mentorship Programme. All participants must complete these procedures to progress to development stages.

Questions about priority and effort assignment procedures should be directed to programme leadership through designated communication channels. For comprehensive programme terms and conditions, please refer to our [Mentorship Programme Terms and Conditions](/about/mentorship).

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*For questions about priority and effort assignment procedures or programme participation, please contact programme leadership through the designated channels outlined in our Community Code of Conduct.*

:::tip[Helpful Links]
- [Join Discord](https://chat.nhcarrigan.com/) - Select the mentorship role to get started
- [Donate](https://donate.nhcarrigan.com/)
:::