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Prioritization matrix template

A prioritization matrix ranks a list of options by scoring each one against the same criteria, with weights that say how much each criterion matters. In an improvement team it turns a long backlog of ideas into an agreed order of work. This template gives you two views of the same scores. The first is a weighted score and rank from up to six criteria you choose, each tagged Benefit (what you gain) or Ease (how little work it takes). The second is a grid that sorts every idea into a quick win, a major project, a fill-in or a drop. Page 1 of the PDF is the blank sheet to fill in with the team, with 12 option rows. Page 2 shows how to fill it in, where each number comes from and a worked example of 12 packaging line ideas. The Excel version holds 20 options, calculates the weighted score and rank, repeats the ranking with every criterion weighted the same as a check, lists the top three to start with and draws the grid and a chart. Criteria, weights, the 1 to 5 scales and the grid midline are set by the team; none of them is a standard. The method is the rating version of the weighted decision matrix described by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, with weights as shares of 100, and the 2 × 2 effort and impact grid used in NHS improvement guides.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the prioritization matrix: fields for team, goal and date, a criteria table with type, weight and what a 1 and a 5 mean, and a 12-row options table with scores under six criteria, a weighted score, a rank and a grid box to circle.
Up to 6 weighted criteriaBenefit or Ease tagWeights that total 100Up to 20 optionsScores 1 to 5Weighted score and rankEqual-weights checkEffort and benefit gridTop three to start

When to use it

When to use a prioritization matrix

  • After a brainstorm, a gemba walk or a suggestion review, when the list of ideas is longer than the team's time.
  • When two or three people each favor a different idea and the team needs a fair way to choose.
  • When ideas must be compared on more than one thing at once, such as safety, cost saving and how long they take.
  • At the start of a quarter, to agree which improvements go on the plan and which wait.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Write the goal and trim the list

    Say in one line what you are choosing for, such as what to improve first on line 2 this quarter. List the ideas, then drop the ones nobody will really do. The Excel sheet holds 20 options, and a shorter list is easier to score well.

  2. 2

    Choose three to six criteria

    Pick what matters for this decision, such as safety, cost saving, customer impact, effort and time to implement. Tag each one Benefit or Ease, and write what a 1 and a 5 mean so everyone scores on the same scale.

  3. 3

    Weight the criteria before scoring

    Share 100 points between the criteria. Do it before anyone scores an option, so the weights cannot be bent to favor an idea. The Excel sheet warns when the weights do not total 100.

  4. 4

    Score every option 1 to 5

    Each person scores alone first, then the team compares and agrees one score per cell. A 5 is always the better outcome for you, so on an effort criterion a 5 means the least effort.

  5. 5

    Read the ranking and the equal-weights check

    The sheet shows the weighted score and rank, and the rank again with every criterion counting the same. If the top three change, the weights are deciding, and that is worth a conversation before anyone acts.

  6. 6

    Read the grid and decide

    Quick wins (high benefit, easy) go first, each with an owner and a date. Major projects get a sponsor and a plan. Fill-ins wait for spare time. Drops are dropped, with the reason written down.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: 12 improvement ideas for a packaging line, scored on safety (30), cost saving (25), customer impact (15), effort (15) and time to implement (15). Illustrative numbers.

  • Anti-fatigue mats at the pack stations score 3.65, the guard interlock on the case sealer 3.50 and the roll-change cart for stretch film 3.25. They rank 1, 2 and 3.
  • With every criterion weighted the same, the top three become the mats, the interlock and moving the label printer next to the packer. The roll-change cart falls to fourth, so one place in the top three depends on the weights.
  • On the grid, four ideas are quick wins (the interlock, the roll-change cart, cross-training four operators on the sealer and the mats), one is a major project (a semi-automatic strapper), three are fill-ins and four are drops.
  • The grid uses only the criteria of each type. For the interlock, benefit is 3.29 and ease is 4.00, so it sits in the quick win box.

The team starts the mats, the interlock and the cart, gives the strapper a sponsor and a business case, and writes down why the camera check and the conveyor motor wait.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the weights after seeing the scores

    Weights set after scoring bend toward the idea someone already likes. Agree them first and write them down.

  • Scoring effort the wrong way round

    Every scale on this sheet runs so that 5 is better, so a 5 on effort means the least effort. If one person scores a big job as 5, the whole result flips.

  • Everything scores 4 or 5

    Nobody likes to call their own idea small, so scores bunch at the top and the ranking tells you nothing. Score against the other ideas on the list and use the whole 1 to 5 range.

  • Treating the score as the decision

    The top score may not be the right choice. The decision matrix guide from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality says the relative scores are there to prompt discussion. A gap of 0.05 between two ideas is a tie.

  • Too many criteria

    Past six criteria, scoring takes long and each weight shrinks. The Minnesota Department of Health toolbox suggests three to six for a group of 3 to 8 people.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

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LeanSuite's Kaizen & Projects manages every improvement project in one visual hub, from a small kaizen event to a full DMAIC project, and tracks each one through to results.

FAQ

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