Abstract
When options differ in several ways at once, it's easy to fixate on one vivid detail, like a salary figure or a nice office. A decision matrix puts every option against the same list of criteria, so they're all judged on the same terms.
Each criterion gets a weight for how much it matters to you, and each option gets a score on each criterion. The weighted totals show which option fits best overall. Often the most useful part is the argument you have while setting the weights.
Method
- 01
List the options
Write down the alternatives you're actually choosing between. Two to five works well.
- 02
Choose the criteria
Name the factors that should decide it, such as cost or risk. Keep them separate so nothing gets counted twice.
- 03
Weight the criteria
Give each criterion a weight from 1 to 5. Settle the weights before you score anything.
- 04
Score each option
Rate each option from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on each criterion. Work across a row so you compare options directly.
- 05
Read the result and test it
Look at the totals, then check how much the winner depends on the weights. If the result feels wrong, ask which criterion is missing.
When to use it
- You're choosing between a few options that differ on several factors, like job offers or suppliers.
- A group needs an open way to compare options and see exactly where people disagree.
- You keep going back and forth and want the trade-offs written down.
Common pitfalls
- Using too many criteria, which waters down the important ones.
- Overlapping criteria, like price and total cost, which count the same thing twice.
- Tweaking the weights until your favourite wins. Set them first.
- Treating the total as the final word. If the winner feels wrong, your gut may be picking up on a criterion you left out.
Origin and references
Attributed to Stuart Pugh (1981).
- Pugh, S. (1990). Total Design: Integrated Methods for Successful Product Engineering. Addison-Wesley.
- Pugh, S. (1981). Concept selection: a method that works. Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED), Rome.