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Prioritizing using an Impact vs. Feasibility Matrix

1. Introduction & Purpose

Following creative ideation phases like brainstorming or SCAMPER, project teams often face a large volume of potential ideas, features, or tasks. To move forward effectively, these options need to be evaluated and prioritized to determine where to invest limited resources such as time, budget, and personnel. The Impact vs. Feasibility Matrix (also known as the Impact vs. Effort Matrix, or Action Priority Matrix) is a simple yet powerful decision-making tool designed for this purpose.

This technique involves plotting ideas on a two-dimensional grid based on:

• Impact: The potential value, benefit, or degree to which an idea contributes to achieving specific project or strategic goals. This could relate to user satisfaction, revenue generation, cost savings, alignment with objectives, etc..
• Feasibility: The likelihood or ease of successfully implementing the idea, considering available resources (time, money, skills), technical complexity, and other constraints. (Note: Some versions use "Effort" on the x-axis, which is the inverse of Feasibility – high effort equals low feasibility).

The purpose of using the Impact vs. Feasibility Matrix is to visually categorize ideas into distinct quadrants, enabling teams to quickly identify high-priority "Quick Wins," strategically important "Major Projects," lower-priority "Fill-Ins," and time-wasting "Resource Drains." This facilitates objective discussion, collaborative decision-making, and effective resource allocation, ensuring efforts are focused on activities that deliver the most value within practical constraints.

2. Learning Objectives

Upon completing this activity, students will be able to:

• Define and differentiate between the concepts of 'Impact' and 'Feasibility' (or 'Effort') as criteria for project or idea prioritization.
• Evaluate a set of potential ideas, project tasks, or features based on their estimated impact and feasibility.
• Construct an Impact vs. Feasibility matrix and accurately plot items onto the grid.
• Identify and interpret the four distinct quadrants of the matrix: Quick Wins (High Impact/High Feasibility), Major Projects (High Impact/Low Feasibility), Fill-Ins (Low Impact/High Feasibility), and Resource Drains (Low Impact/Low Feasibility).
• Explain the strategic implications associated with items falling into each quadrant and use this understanding to inform prioritization decisions.
• Apply the matrix as a collaborative tool to facilitate group discussion and consensus-building around project priorities and action planning.

3. Connection to Project Management / Design Thinking Theory & Practice

The Impact vs. Feasibility Matrix is a practical tool bridging ideation and execution in various frameworks.

• Design Thinking: This matrix is commonly used during the convergent part of the Ideate phase or as a transition into the Prototype phase. After generating a wide array of ideas (divergence), this tool helps the team systematically evaluate and select the most promising concepts to develop further and test. It provides a pragmatic filter based on value and practicality.