The full answer
Go back to the business goal the sponsor agreed, put every request on one list, and score each by value against that goal, effort, risk and readiness (data, access, an owner). Agree the order with the sponsor in the open, so the decision is theirs and visible, say clearly what is not being done now and why, and keep a short path for urgent issues. Never quietly try to do everything.
Why it happens
An AI project attracts requests: operations wants automation, compliance wants more controls, sales wants a demo for a client, IT wants it on their platform. Each is reasonable. Trying to satisfy all of them at once is how pilots stall.
1. Collect requests in one place
One visible backlog, with who asked, what problem it solves, and how they would measure success. Requests made in corridors get written down too.
2. Score them
| Request | Value to the agreed goal | Effort | Risk | Ready? (data, access, owner) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handle billing questions too | High | Medium | Medium | Data yes, owner yes |
| Custom dashboard for leadership | Low | Low | Low | Yes |
| Auto-send replies with no review | Medium | Low | High | Policy not agreed |
| Move to IT's cloud account | Medium | High | Low | Needs security review |
3. Separate kinds of request
- Must-haves for go-live, such as a compliance control, are not optional and go first.
- Scope growth competes on value.
- Platform changes are planned as their own piece of work.
- Nice-to-haves wait, with a date to revisit.
4. Decide with the sponsor
Bring the scored list to the sponsor and the requesting teams together. The sponsor owns the trade-off; you own the honest estimates. Record the decision and share it, so nobody hears "no" second-hand.
5. Say no well
"Not now, because the go-live depends on X; it's next on the list for the following month" keeps the relationship. Offer something small where you can: a workaround, a read-only view, a clear date.
6. Revisit regularly
Every two weeks or each milestone, re-score with what you learned. Priorities change once the system is live and real usage data exists.
Signs it's going wrong
- The team is doing many things and finishing none.
- Requests go straight to engineers, skipping the list.
- The success metric agreed at the start is no longer mentioned.
What interviewers look for: anchoring on the agreed outcome, transparent prioritisation owned by the customer's leadership, and the confidence to say "not yet" while keeping people on side.
Last updated 16 October 2026
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