for Miss Lynn

• Bite-Sized Training
• Book Insights
• Career Cafe

• Expert Interviews
• Forums
• Infographics

• Learning streams
• Mind Tools App
• My Learning Plan

• Quizzes
• Templates and Worksheets
• Videos

• For Your Organization

• Home

• Decision Making

• Choosing Between Options

• Decision Matrix Analysis

The Mind Tools Content Team

• James Manktelow

• Keith Jackson

• Charlie Swift

• Steven Edwards

• Lucy Bishop

• Tom Mugridge

• Simon Bell

• Rosie Robinson

• Eleanor Bruce

Decision Matrix Analysis

Making a Decision by Weighing Up Different Factors

(Also known as Grid Analysis, Pugh Matrix Analysis, and Multi-Attribute Utility Theory)  

Imagine that your boss has put you in charge of taking on a new outsourced IT supplier. You've already identified several different suppliers, and you now need to decide which one to use.

You could decide to go with the low-cost option. But you don't want to make your decision on cost alone – factors such as contract length, underlying technology, and service levels need to be taken into consideration. So how can you make sure you make the best decision, while taking all of these different factors into account?

Decision Matrix Analysis is a useful technique to use for making a decision. It's particularly powerful where you have a number of good alternatives to choose from, and many different factors to take into account. This makes it a great technique to use in almost any important decision where there isn't a clear and obvious preferred option.

Being able to use Decision Matrix Analysis means that you can take decisions confidently and rationally, at a time when other people might be struggling to make a decision.