K-12 Project Prioritization Scorecard Template for Chief Technology Officers

Refer to your school district’s strategic plan to populate strategic values to which projects should contribute. Insert titles where indicated in red text. (For examples, see below).

If needed, add new criteria to the Strategic Prioritization and COVID-19 Escalator Indicators.

Every strategic and COVID-19 related indicator has been assigned a default weight of 20% (with the exception of the Override option). Should your decision-making framework require more/less consideration for individual indicators, adjust the weight percentages. Ensure that combined strategic and COVID-19 related indicators add up to 100% each. Consult QC checks in Columns V and W to confirm your adjusted weights equal 100%; non-compliant entries will appear in yellow.

Based on your district’s size and operating budget, insert dollar amount ranges where indicated in red text to measure anticipated cost savings and revenue increases over three years (indicated in Red text in Cells K8 and L8) due to project completion. For example, for Cost Savings, the range of considerations may be:

1. No or Minor Savings (up to $2k)
2. Moderate Savings (~$10-50k)
3. Major Savings (over $50k)

Enter a multiplier value between 0.0 and 2.0 in cell D7 to dictate how much weight COVID considerations should have relative to strategic considerations. A value of less than 1 will imply COVID considerations should be weighed less than strategic parameters, whereas a value of more than 1 will imply COVID considerations should have more weight. A default value of 1.0 has been set.

Each column should reference one strategic goal for the district such as improve student outcomes, increase student attendance, support teachers and staff, strengthen family engagement, etc. Estimate the project’s contribution to each strategic goal ranging from 0 = No Contribution, 3 = Supports Goal but Nonessential, and 5 = Essential.

Estimate the range of schools or users the project will impact, where 0 = Impacts a Single Department/School, 10 = Impacts Multiple Departments/Schools, and 20 = District-Wide Impact. You may also choose other variables to measure impact; for example, the number of students or teachers the project will impact, etc.

Estimate the total budget or operational cost savings anticipated over three years due to project completion, where 0 = No or Minor Savings, 10 = Moderate Savings, and 20 = Major Savings.

Estimate the technical need for this project to enable other projects or to avoid loss of critical capabilities, where 0 = No or Low Criticality, 10 = Moderate Criticality, and 20 = Major Criticality.

Consider district risks such as regulatory compliance failure, security breaches, diminished reputation, and safety, and estimate the risk the district  will assume or fail to mitigate if the project is not carried out, where 0 = No Risk Mitigation, 10 = Moderate Risk Mitigation, and 20 = Complete Risk Mitigation.

This indicator should only be completed by Project Sponsor or individual with authority to mandate that the project is critical to complete for reasons not included in the scorecard. Examples might include a regulatory requirement or leadership mandate. Indicating Yes will add 1000 points to the calculated score, escalating the project to the top of the priority list.

Determine if the project supports the identification and isolation of COVID-19 cases before the emergence of substantial district outbreaks, such as contact tracing technology or school safety data analytics.

Determine if project supports operations to lower transmission opportunities through physical distancing and reduced population size, such as room scheduling software to adjust space utilization and capacity.

Determine if project helps create a culture of prevention where students, teachers, and staff buy into and follow public health guidance, such as CRM or marketing system to disburse health reminders and updates.

Determine if project improves digital education and instructional resilience needed for hybrid or remote learning due to COVID, such as web meeting platforms, web cams and headsets, or virtual desktop infrastructure access.

Determine if project supports sustained remote work for teachers and staff who may choose or be required to work remotely to minimize spread of COVID, such as increased VPN access, collaboration tools, or e-signature platforms and workflows to replace paper-based processes.

This is the weighted score from Part I. Strategic Prioritization Indicators and indicates an underlying and foundational score that can be referenced during both normal and crisis operations. This score should only change if the district’s strategic priorities or financial assessments shift. The maximum calculated value is 100 (unless a project has been selected for Override, in which case 1000 points are added to the score).

This is the weighted score from Part II. COVID-19 Escalator Indicators and indicates solely the project’s relative impact on COVID-19 operations but does not include any consideration of projects’ contributions to strategic goals or broader district impacts. The maximum calculated value is 100.

This score adjusts the COVID-19 Prioritization Score using the user-entered COVID-19 multiplier.

The product of the Strategic Prioritization Score and the COVID-19 Prioritization Multiplier, this score indicates a project’s combined strategic and COVID-19 related value. The maximum calculated value is 200.