Decision making techniques 4: 2x2 Matrix

Reference cards

Method

1. Write down all the options you want to prioritise on sticky
2. Decide which two criteria you want to judge the ideas on and draw a matrix on the whiteboard or wall.
3. Give everyone in the group an equal number of the sticky notes and allow them to place them on the matrix with no discussion.
4. Once all the sticky notes are on the board, check you all agree with the placement. Discuss and move any you’re not sure about.

Tips

1. If you have a larger group, split into groups of 4 or 5 and reach a consensus independently and then share with the group to reach a final consensus.
2. Each person can also independently give each option a score from -5 to 5 on the two criteria, and then you can calculate the average score across the whole group. Best done with software.
3. Choose you criteria carefully. They should be independent of each other and something you can reach a consensus on. Some examples are: effort vs. impact and desirability vs. feasibility.

Example: Feature prioritisation

You’re designing a new app. You’ve thought of lots of exciting features and you want to build but before starting you want to decide with your team which to build first. You set the criteria ‘effort vs. impact’.