It’s probably no surprise that we love learning about and trying out different organizational techniques and time management hacks.
There are lots of them out there. Your favorite will of course depend on your personality and your work style.
Lately, we’ve been using the prioritization matrix as a way to keep things organized and streamlined. The word “matrix” took us right back to high school algebra, too, but we think (despite the intimidating name) these tools are helpful for lots of organizational circumstances—both individual and team-based. We promised there's very little actual math required.
So: what exactly is a prioritization matrix? It’s basically a to-do list of sorts—but one that focuses on prioritizing rather than simply listing everything you need to finish out. For all the visual learners out there: this tool can help you see, in a clear sense, the tasks you need to complete—and when.
Instead of a long to-do list that contains a seemingly never-ending list of items that you might stare at, eyes glazing over, and wonder where in the world to start, the prioritization matrix makes you…prioritize.
You have to pick and choose the tasks that need to be handled first—and when you get those finished, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and can then “slide” the other less important or less urgent tasks over and handle those.
They’re not just for individual workflows, either. In fact, some project managers swear by the more complex versions of prioritization matrices, as they help big teams figure out what tasks are the most worthy of time and effort. They help establish a consensus as to what criteria are worthy of a high-effort push.
Prioritization matrices are customizable and surprisingly handy. Interested yet? Here’s how they work.
What Is a Prioritization Matrix?
In their simplest form, prioritization matrices, or priority matrices, are time management tools that allow you to figure out what tasks to focus on, what tasks to delegate, and what tasks to devote little (or no!) time to. (Yes, sometimes they might help you let go of those smaller, low-value tasks that are always last on your to-do list.)
Using a chart, they require you to break down exactly how important each task is, which provides a clear view of where you need to focus your energy when you have a lot on your proverbial plate.
They can be used by individuals who just need to get a grasp on a long or overwhelming to-do list, as well as by teams who are getting ready to tackle a detailed project.
Why Use a Prioritization Matrix?
Prioritization matrices are useful in lots of situations.
Here are a few times they might come in handy in particular:
- You need help structuring your day or week into an actionable plan
- You're a visual learner who is overwhelmed by a long, written to-do list
- You simply need to figure out how to prioritize your tasks
- You need to break down a large project into smaller steps
- You’re a manager who needs to lead a team of people who may have conflicting interests in different aspects of a project
- Your team needs to determine the most worthwhile criteria of a project
- Your team needs to prioritize and “buy in” to upcoming urgent tasks
- You need a way to visualize your priorities other than via “typical” to-do list
- You need to determine which tasks to delegate and which tasks to handle yourself
- You need to establish which tasks on your to-do list are high-value and which are low-value
There are countless other reasons to employ this tool, especially if you’re managing a large team or project. There are also plenty of software options out there that offer customizable templates, like Priority Matrix, that you can utilize in these kinds of high-stakes situations.
Types of Priority Matrices
You can make a priority matrix the way you want to, of course, but there are two types of prioritization matrices that are the most common: the Eisenhower Matrix and the Six Sigma Matrix.
The Eisenhower Matrix is the simplest of the two; it usually contains just four quadrants and two axes for you to fill in. It's the one that we think works best if you're an individual worker who is looking for a new to-do list "hack." We'll provide an easy-to-use template later in this article!
The Six Stigma Matrix (pictured below courtesy of Six Sigma Certification Course) is a much more detailed version; it’s the one that is most often used in larger team environments when you need to weigh the opinions and priorities of multiple people or team members.
How to Use an Eisenhower Matrix or a 2x2 Matrix
In its most basic form, a priority matrix contains four basic quadrants with a section for time (i.e., “Now” and “Later”) on one axis and a section for importance (i.e., “High Impact” and “Low Impact”) on another axis.
- Quadrant 1: Important and urgent tasks and responsibilities
- Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent tasks and responsibilities
- Quadrant 3: Urgent but not necessarily as important
- Quadrant 4: Neither urgent nor important
Scroll down to see an example of the 2x2 matrix.
In this matrix, you’d list your most urgent and important task in the quadrant where “Now” and “Urgent” meet. Then, you’d consider your other tasks’ levels of urgency and importance and place them in their respective quadrants. This is one of the most basic ways to do this.
The Eisenhower Matrix is especially helpful for solo work. On those days where you can’t seem to get started, try it out—having a visual representation of what you should handle and when can make taking the first step a little easier.
Check out our example below: the left uppermost square is where you’d note your most pressing and most high-value tasks. As you move outward, that’s where you’d list your less pressing priorities. It’s an easy way to see exactly where you need to start on your to-do list.
Note that the bottom right quadrant is for unimportant, not urgent tasks. If you find yourself adding activities to that quadrant that don’t seem to bring much value, consider whether or not you actually need to do those anyway. Are they the items you tend to procrastinate on? Or are they genuinely not super important? Can you just let those go altogether?
This simple matrix allows you to take a good look at the bigger picture of your current priorities. You may see what tasks you’re spending too much time on—and which ones you should emphasize instead.
How to Use a Six Sigma Matrix
In addition to an overwhelming to-do list, prioritization matrices are also helpful for specific projects, especially those that may involve multiple different opinions.
Essentially, if you’re managing a major project with multiple complicated components, you can break down exactly how you plan to tackle them using this technique. It allows you to gather the opinions, in a relatively unbiased way, of the people on your team so that you can all move forward with a plan of action.
Remember when I mentioned algebra above? Well…there is a little math that comes into play when using this technique. Here’s a general breakdown of how it works.
First, you’ll want to determine the reason for the project in general. This will likely be pretty obvious, but it's best to spell it out. Then, you’ll want to categorize the ways in which certain factors will matter to the project as a whole. For example, let’s say you’re working to create a new brochure that streamlines what to expect for new hires at your company. Your criteria might be something like:
- Clarifies new hire paperwork
- Explains and strengthens employee value proposition
- Streamlines HR communications
Once you’ve determined these categories, you’ll want to assign them a rating scale so each team member ranks the parts that they consider most important. These categories will become an axis, let's say the vertical axis, on the matrix. Then, you’ll assign each section a weighted score, based on the categories that are most important.
Your team can then go through and rate each section, and you can calculate what “wins” in order of score.
From there, you can create a matrix with those categories in order on one axis, and then solicit ideas for solutions and tasks to address your goal on the horizontal axis. Once you add the weighted scores to those, you can determine which tasks your team should prioritize. It's a way to create strategic plans that everyone on the team understands the value of following.
How to Make a Prioritization Matrix Work for You
If you're looking to create a simple priority matrix to help you determine which tasks have high importance and which tasks you can stand to wait on, it all begins with laying out what all it is you have on your plate.
Take a look at your existing to-do list. If you don’t have one, make one. Just jot down everything you need to handle in one big brain dump.
Once you have a rough list together, go through and highlight or star the tasks that are important or due soon.
Then, draw out a two-by-two matrix or print out our template below. Go to those tasks you highlighted and determine which ones are the *most* important and the *most* urgent. This is the hard part: you have to really look at the items you should address right away. Write those down in the appropriate quadrant in your matrix. Then, follow with the others in the order of priority.
After that, you can get to it! You’ll be on your way to a productive day or week. Trust us: It feels great to mark those super urgent items off of the list.
Prioritization Matrix Template
How to Make a Prioritization Matrix Work for Your Team
If you’re looking to start using prioritization matrices for your team, it’s best employed when you’re working on a detailed project together. It’s likely less helpful for just general day-to-day tasks (unless everyone is using their own option, as described above).
Project managers and their teams may especially benefit from using this kind of organization technique because they help ensure that team members see there's no "hidden agenda" and that any disagreements can be dealt with by discussing the data.
You’ll need to have a meeting where your team’s stakeholders can discuss their priorities. Take time for a brainstorming session to throw out ideas for the best solutions for handling the different parts of the project. You can then go through and categorize, weigh, and rate the list of criteria numerically so that everyone is given the opportunity to express what they deem most relevant.
You'll then be able to move forward with similar agendas and a team consensus on the most important tasks. You can delegate and determine who will take on the tasks with low urgency—and when.
It takes the guesswork out of these decisions. Ultimately, your team will appreciate a consistent means of determining which tasks bring the most value to the project and are thus the most important to focus on at any given moment.
