The list’s order matters more when alternatives are scarce.

When there is plenty to go round, order is a convenience. When there is not, order is the whole outcome: being third on a list of two hundred for something there are twelve of decides what happens to a person. Whoever sets the criteria in a scarce situation is making decisions larger than the paperwork suggests.

If you set an order that others depend on, say publicly how it was decided. And if you are on such a list, it is fair to ask what determines position, since that question is almost always answerable and rarely volunteered.