What is WSJF?
Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) is a prioritisation technique from Agile and the SAFe framework. It helps teams pick up work that delivers the most value for the least effort first. Instead of prioritising on gut feel you get an objective score per task.
The WSJF formula
WSJF is calculated by dividing the Cost of Delay by the Job Size:
WSJF = (Business value + Time criticality + Risk/opportunity) / Job size
- Business value — how much value does this deliver to the customer or business?
- Time criticality — how fast does the value decay if you wait?
- Risk/opportunity — does it reduce risk or open new opportunities?
- Job size — how much work to finish it?
How to use the calculator
- Add a row per task and give it a name.
- Score each component on a scale of 1 to 10.
- The WSJF score is calculated automatically; row
#1has the highest priority.
Tips
- Score relatively: compare tasks to each other instead of in absolute terms.
- Do the estimation together with the team and stakeholders.
- Revise scores regularly — context changes.