Priority values determine the execution order of experiments in your backlog. Mastering the priority system ensures your most important tests run at the optimal time, maximizing the value of your testing program.
Every experiment has a numeric priority value. When multiple experiments are ready to run, PressPlay selects the one with the highest priority number. It's that simple.
Priority values can be any positive integer. There's no fixed maximum, giving you flexibility to prioritize experiments as needed. In practice, most teams use a range of 1-100.
Example:
Experiment A: Priority 75
Experiment B: Priority 50
Experiment C: Priority 85
Execution order: C (85) → A (75) → B (50)
You assign priority when creating an experiment and can modify it anytime before the experiment starts running.
Navigate to experiment creation
Configure experiment details (name, variants, settings)
Set the priority value in the priority field
Save the experiment
Change priority for experiments that haven't started yet:
Open the experiment details page
Click "Edit Experiment"
Update the priority value
Save changes
Important: You can only modify priority when the experiment is in READY, NOT_READY, or ERROR status. Once an experiment is IN_PROGRESS, STOPPING, or FINISHED, priority cannot be changed.
Assign the highest priorities (90-100) to experiments that:
Address urgent performance issues
Test time-sensitive opportunities (seasonal campaigns, feature launches)
Block other planned experiments that depend on their results
Have executive or stakeholder attention
Use 70-89 for experiments that:
Target known pain points in your funnel
Test hypotheses with strong supporting data
Have significant potential impact on key metrics
Fill gaps in your optimization roadmap
Assign 50-69 to experiments that:
Follow your regular testing cadence
Test iterative improvements
Explore new hypotheses with moderate confidence
Maintain testing velocity
Use 1-49 for experiments that:
Test speculative ideas
Explore long-term strategic questions
Can wait for optimal timing
Serve as learning exercises
Don't assign consecutive priority numbers. Instead, use increments of 5 or 10:
Good: 90, 80, 70, 60
Avoid: 90, 89, 88, 87
Spacing allows you to insert urgent experiments between existing ones without reorganizing your entire queue.
Add notes to your experiment explaining why it has a specific priority. This helps team members understand the rationale and make informed adjustments.
Schedule weekly or bi-weekly reviews of your backlog priorities. Business priorities change, and your testing queue should reflect current needs.
If multiple team members manage experiments, establish shared priority guidelines. Consistent prioritization prevents conflicts and maintains queue integrity.
When experiments build on each other's results:
Foundation test: Priority 80
Follow-up test A: Priority 79
Follow-up test B: Priority 78
This ensures experiments run in the correct sequence even if creation happens out of order.
Testing multiple hypotheses for the same problem:
Hypothesis A (strongest): Priority 75
Hypothesis B (moderate): Priority 74
Hypothesis C (exploratory): Priority 73
Results from higher-priority tests may inform whether lower-priority tests should still run.
Group experiments by asset type using priority ranges:
Icon experiments: 60-69
Screenshot experiments: 70-79
Description experiments: 50-59
This keeps similar experiments together in your queue for easier management.
PressPlay provides an API endpoint to retrieve the current maximum priority value for your app. This helps you:
Set a new experiment's priority higher than all existing experiments
Understand the current priority range in use
Automate priority assignment in custom workflows
Use this when you need to ensure an experiment runs immediately after the current test completes.
Priority only matters for experiments in READY status. Experiments in other states are handled differently:
Status Priority Behavior | |
READY | Priority determines execution order |
NOT_READY | Not in queue; priority has no effect |
ERROR | Not in queue; priority has no effect |
IN_PROGRESS | Currently running; priority not editable |
STOPPING | Shutting down; priority not editable |
FINISHED | Complete; priority not editable |
If multiple READY experiments have the same priority, the system uses creation timestamp as a tiebreaker. The older experiment runs first.
If you change priority while experiments are queued, the new priority takes effect immediately. The queue reorders automatically.
Adjust priorities based on incoming data:
Promote experiments when supporting evidence strengthens
Demote experiments when conditions change
Reorder based on new business priorities
Reserve specific priority ranges for different scenarios:
Emergency tests: 95-100
Scheduled major tests: 80-90
Standard queue: 40-75
Backlog reserve: 1-35
Adjust your priority strategy for high-traffic periods:
Pre-season: Lower priorities for risky experiments
Peak season: Higher priorities for proven optimizations
Post-season: Higher priorities for exploratory testing
Understanding the Backlog - How experiment queuing works in PressPlay
Experiment Status Lifecycle - Status transitions and what you can edit at each stage
Creating Your First Experiment - Step-by-step experiment setup