Use a Decision Matrix to Select a Project
Using the Requirement Feature Matrix (see below) you can narrow down the list of
potential improvement projects. But how do you know which one is the most important?
The Decision Matrix can help determine which of your many worthy projects
is the most critical to quality.
In the left column of the Decision Matrix, list your various potential projects. Across
the top, list the criteria you want to consider, such as "low cost," "easily achievable,"
or "customer favorite." Assign a relative weight to each criterion. Is your main goal
to reduce cost? Are you looking for the quickest project? Do you want to start with
the project that is the least complex?
Rate your most important criterion with a 5 and your least important criterion with a 1.
Next, rate each possible solution on a scale of 1 to 5 for each criterion. Make sure
that this scale is consistent for each criterion. A rating of 1 should signify something
you don't want: high cost, too complex, and too long to complete. A rating of 5 should
signify something that you would want to choose such as: easy to complete, most likely
to succeed, greatest importance, and lowest cost. Multiply the rating with the weight
of the criterion to get a rating score, then total the ratings for each project and use
the score to help decide which project deserves the most attention.