Impact vs. Effort Matrix

A decision-making tool that will help your team prioritize their time and tasks.

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Resource Type:

Tool

Use this to:

| Facilitate|

This tool helps to indicate where the time and effort should be spent and allows you to create a priority list.

Steps:

Begin by creating a list of all the items that need to be sorted (e.g., tasks for a project, new programming, research questions).
With your team members, discuss each item, and explore as a team where it belongs on the impact axis (low to high) and where it belongs on the effort access (difficult to easy).
Plot each item on the matrix. If you are on a virtual platform, you can share your screen with a virtual whiteboard where the members of the team can annotate the screen. If you are in person, you can create the matrix on a large poster paper and hang it up, so members are able to view the matrix.
Once finished, the grid presents a nice visual that can guide action going forward. For example, Items in Priority A can be considered quick wins as they are high impact and lower effort, while items in Priority D may be excluded from the workplan as they are difficult to implement and yield little impact.

Templates & Downloads

Use a virtual whiteboard to share the template
Have each member brainstorm a list of items they would like to discuss prior to the meeting

Last Updated: January 27, 2022
Source:

Facilitator tool kit a guide for helping groups get results. (2007 September). Office of Quality Improvement, University of Wisconsin-Madison. https://www.nj.gov/education/AchieveNJ/teams/strat14/FacilitatorToolKit.pdf