Impact/effort matrix
An impact/effort matrix is a prioritisation tool that helps you to evaluate projects or ideas based on the impact they could have and the amount of effort they would take.
This is a group exercise that can take between about 20 minutes and a couple of hours.
Making an impact/effort matrix
Draw a 2-by-2 matrix, like this:
Label the horizontal axis ‘Effort’ and the vertical axis ‘Impact’

Label the boxes:
- Top right ‘Big projects’
- Top Left ‘Quick wins’
- Bottom left ‘Filler tasks’
- Bottom right ‘Thankless tasks’
Discuss each idea and decide where it should sit on the matrix. The higher up the more important it is. The further right the harder it will be.
- Big projects are high effort but high impact. They are important and ambitious but may need more planning and people
- Quick wins are low effort but high impact. You should start them soon
- Filler tasks are low effort and low impact. They aren’t a priority, but you can do them if you have time
- Thankless tasks are high effort but low impact. They aren’t worth doing