Facilitation Tools for Evaluation – Part 2

By Rachel Scott

Welcome back!  It’s been over a year since the last blog on facilitation tools for evaluation. Today, I want to share a new (old) tool that can be leveraged for a variety of contexts to help with decision-making.  The tool is called an importance versus difficulty matrix.

What is an Importance Versus Difficulty Matrix?

An importance versus difficulty matrix is a tool used in decision-making to help prioritize tasks or projects based on two key criteria: their level of importance and their level of difficulty. This matrix typically divides tasks into four quadrants based on whether they are high or low in importance and high or low in difficulty. Here’s how the quadrants are generally categorized:

1. High Importance, Low Difficulty (Quick Wins): These tasks are prioritized because they provide significant value and can be accomplished relatively easily. They are often the best starting point as they can show quick results and boost morale.
2. High Importance, High Difficulty (Major Projects): These tasks are crucial to achieving goals but are challenging and may require significant resources and time. Strategic planning and resource allocation are necessary to tackle these effectively.
3. Low Importance, Low Difficulty (Fill-Ins): These tasks don’t contribute significantly towards goals but are easy to complete. They can be done in spare time or delegated to less experienced team members.
4. Low Importance, High Difficulty (Thankless Tasks): These tasks require a lot of effort but offer little reward. Typically, these should be avoided or re-evaluated unless they are necessary for compliance or other mandatory reasons.

How It Helps in Decision Making:

• Prioritization: The matrix helps groups clearly see which tasks should be tackled first based on their impact and the effort required. This helps in managing time and resources more efficiently.
• Resource Allocation: By identifying the difficulty of tasks, the matrix can guide where to allocate more resources and where to cut back, ensuring that efforts are concentrated where they can yield the best returns.
• Motivation and Morale: Quick wins can motivate the team as they see tangible results from their efforts, boosting morale and productivity.
• Strategic Planning: Major projects identified by the matrix can be planned strategically, with appropriate milestones and reviews, ensuring long-term success.
• Minimization of Wasted Effort: The matrix helps in identifying low-priority tasks that might consume resources disproportionately, allowing for a reallocation of those resources to more beneficial projects.

This matrix is particularly useful in collaborative settings where multiple options are being considered, and there is a need for a structured approach to evaluate and prioritize them. It can help in making decisions more objective and ensure that all team members understand the rationale behind task prioritization.