RNLI: Saving Lives Through Project Prioritization

Faced with too many safety-critical projects for limited resources, RNLI needed a smarter way to choose. TransparentChoice provided clear criteria, balanced portfolios, and the ability to re-prioritize instantly when priorities changed.

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The Challenge

RNLI’s engineering and supply teams were running more initiatives than capacity, with no fit-for-purpose PMO process and limited visibility into what was actually live. Projects were sometimes approved without confirmed budget or resources, forcing PMs to juggle workloads and “beg and borrow” funding, while senior project boards were overloaded and meetings missed. RNLI needed a formal, data-driven way to define value, see the true backlog, and make stop/hold decisions—instead of saying “yes” to everything.

"There were so many projects going on that nobody knew exactly which projects were currently live." 1:16
"New projects coming up weren’t budgeted for… you end up begging and borrowing money from other pots." 1:51
"We like to say yes to things… so a lot of resources were promised that may not actually materialize within the time scales." 2:28

Our Approach

RNLI’s PMO built a transparent, data-driven prioritization process: co-create clear, measurable criteria with the right stakeholders, then score projects efficiently without overburdening people’s time.

  • Engage the right voices: Engineers, frontline lifesavers, project experts, and senior managers shaped the model together.
  • Define value clearly: Criteria focused on risk and benefits, with cost overlaid to show value for money.
  • Debate where it matters: Open discussion surfaced disagreements, reduced bias, and avoided time wasted on “vigorous agreement.”
  • Efficient scoring: Workshops pulled every project “out of the woodwork,” while targeted surveys meant people only scored what they knew.
  • Keep it practical: Simple, relevant rating scales were refined by a small group to keep measures actionable.
"The overview workshop was quite an eye-opener—seeing all of this work going on." 4:46
"Building the model in AHP is the most important step—clear, consistent criteria." 5:23
"Getting over that hump… getting the project backlog built in TransparentChoice… it was definitely worth it." 10:44

The Results

Clear criteria, broad engagement, and defensible decisions turned an overwhelming backlog into a balanced, achievable portfolio. Leaders could compare credible scenarios, and when priorities shifted, simple re-weighting quickly rebalanced the plan.

  • Clarity: Every project scored against consistent, transparent criteria.
  • Inclusion: Experts and managers all had a voice and a vote.
  • Rigour: A value-for-money lens guided tough trade-offs.
  • Balance: Portfolios stress-tested for achievability, not just maximum value.
  • Resilience: Rapid re-prioritization kept the portfolio aligned when priorities changed.
"Straight away there was clarity… everyone had their input at the right place." 13:00
"We created three or four different portfolios… credible options to choose between." 15:22
"When Covid hit the PMO simply reweighted criteria, rebalanced the portfolio & was up and running again in no time." 16:36

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