Decision matrix & priority ranking tools
List the options, decide what matters and how much, score each option from 0 to 10. The matrix adds it up, ranks the options and tells you how solid the answer is.
| OptionsCriteria → | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Score 10 for the best possible, 0 for the worst, so a cheaper option gets the higher price score. Weights can be any numbers from 0 to 100; only their sizes relative to each other matter.
Laptop C comes out on top
Weighted total = Σ weight × score. The percentage is the total out of the best possible 140 (every score 10).
Raising the weight of Price from 5 to 6.75 would tie Laptop C with Laptop B; go past that and Laptop B wins. That is a sizeable change, so the lead looks fairly safe.
Your matrix is saved in this browser only.
Put the options down the side and the things that matter across the top. Give each criterion a weight for how much it counts, then score every option on every criterion. An option's total is the sum of weight × score, so a strong score on a heavy criterion counts for more than one on a light criterion.
Total = Σ weight × score; share of maximum = total ÷ (Σ weights × 10)
In the laptop example, Laptop C scores 5, 9, 9 and 8 on price, battery, weight and screen, weighted 5, 4, 3 and 2: 25 + 36 + 27 + 16 = 104 out of a possible 140, or 74%. Laptop B wins on price but loses elsewhere and finishes on 97.
The sensitivity check asks what people forget to ask: how far would one weight have to move to change the answer? If a small change would do it, the options are close, and the decision may hang on something you haven't scored yet.
Four more tools for priorities, trade-offs and money over time.
Sort tasks by urgent and important, drag them between quadrants, print the plan.
Weight each pro and con from minor to decisive and get an honest verdict.
Compare items two at a time and get a ranked list with win counts.
Costs and benefits year by year, with net present value and benefit-cost ratio.
Two free services for the research that goes into a decision.
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Try WebTraceCheckRank the criteria first, then give the most important the biggest number. A must-have, such as a budget limit, is not a weight: drop the options that fail it before scoring.
Yes. For price, the cheapest option gets the highest score. Scoring some criteria the other way round is the most common mistake with a decision matrix.
Only in this browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded; Clear empties it, and the CSV download gives you a copy to keep.