swarm-zap/skills/inbox-priority-agent/references/priority-rubric.md

Priority Rubric

Use this rubric to map inbound items to a single priority level.

Scoring Dimensions

Score each dimension 0-3, then sum.

• Urgency (0-3)

  • 3: Needs action now or within 2 hours
  • 2: Needs action today
  • 1: Needs action this week
  • 0: No clear time pressure

• Importance (0-3)

  • 3: High impact on commitments, money, safety, or key relationships
  • 2: Meaningful impact on active goals/projects
  • 1: Useful but non-critical
  • 0: Minimal impact

• Consequence of delay (0-3)

  • 3: Major downside if delayed (missed deadline, escalation)
  • 2: Moderate downside
  • 1: Minor downside
  • 0: No meaningful downside

Priority Mapping

• P1 (Now): total 7-9, or explicit hard deadline <= 2h
• P2 (Soon): total 5-6, or hard deadline today
• P3 (Watch): total 3-4
• P4 (Low): total 0-2

Tie-Breakers

If two items tie, rank higher when one has:

1. Explicit deadline
2. Direct ask from a high-priority stakeholder
3. Thread with unresolved blocker
4. Higher recency (newer unresolved item)

Draft Reply Patterns

Use concise variants:

• Acknowledge + ETA

  • "Got this — I’ll send you an update by [time]."

• Clarify blocker

  • "I can do this next, but I need [missing info] first."

• Defer politely

  • "Noted. I can take this on [day/time] unless priorities change."

• Escalate responsibly

  • "This looks time-sensitive. Recommending we handle it first because [reason]."