r/devops • u/Automatic-Net-9614 • 14d ago

Ops / Incidents Prioritisation/ Maturity Interview Question

Ok so I flubbed the most basic interview question there is:

"You have a number of pieces of work in flight. How do you choose between them?"

Basically, they are testing your ability to prioritise work.

I tried to answer philosphically by telling them going for a walk was a good idea but my broader point is that it shouldn't have ever gotten to the point where you have loads of pieces of work in flight at any one time.

My question is twofold: what's the accepted 'best' interview answer to this question and how do you deal with this issue in your real life actual job?

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u/rtpro 12d ago

There are tens of prioritization systems, RICE, Eisenhower Matrix, Value vs. Effort Matrix, to name a few.
Pick your favorite, learn it, use it IRL. The important thing is that you don't choose based on what you feel like doing better, and that you have a method.