curated · dabbled
Decision Matrix
A scoring tool that mostly works by surfacing the preference you already had.
Origin: Stuart Pugh and the formal decision-analysis tradition
The model
Options as rows, criteria as columns, weights assigned to each criterion, scores assigned to each option, totals computed. The option with the highest weighted total is the "winner". Formalised in engineering decision-making by Stuart Pugh and widely used in design and product contexts.
When to reach for it
- Genuinely-comparable options where my own preference is not yet clear.
- Conversations with collaborators where shared criteria need to be made explicit.
When not to
- Decisions where the dimensions cannot honestly be reduced to numbers — identity decisions, ethical decisions, decisions about what to do with a life.
- When you find yourself adjusting the weights to make the matrix agree with the answer you wanted. Stop weighting and admit the answer.
Sources
- Stuart Pugh — Total Design (1991)