Impact/Feasibility Matrix

An impact/feasibility matrix (also called an impact/effort matrix) is a decision-making tool used to prioritize ideas, tasks or other focuses.

It’s based on two criteria:

• Impact: the potential value or benefit the idea will deliver
• Feasibility: the level of effort, time, and/or cost required to complete or implement it.

Organized on a quad chart with impact on one axis and difficulty on the other, it helps bring clarity to teams on what to do now versus later (or not at all), and it encourages team consensus and alignment on priorities.

Best Practices

Define criteria clearly. Align on what “impact” and “feasibility” means for your team or project and ensure team members understand the definitions.

Make it collaborative. Involve key stakeholders to help reduce bias and bring in additional perspective.

Make it visual. Use a clear grid with labeled quadrants to see where each idea or task lands.

Basic Steps

1. Identify tasks and ideas. Gather a list of items you want to evaluate. Be as specific as possible to ensure you have a meaningful discussion.

2. Define your criteria. As the team, review what “impact” means (e.g., revenue increase, user satisfaction, efficiency) and what “feasibility” means (e.g., time, cost, technical complexity, risk).

3. Evaluate each item. For each task or idea, assess:

• Impact: is the expected benefit once implemented high or low?
• Feasibility: is the effort to implement this high or low?

4. Plot items on the chart. Use a 2×2 grid and place each task in the appropriate quadrant based on its rating during discussion.

• X-axis: Feasibility (low → high)
• Y-axis: Impact (low → high)

5. Analyze and prioritize. Use the quadrants to guide your decisions and next steps.

• Top left (high impact, high feasibility): quick wins—prioritize these
• Top right (high impact, low feasibility): challenging —plan and allocate resources
• Bottom left (low impact, high feasibility): low priority—do if time allows
• Bottom right (low impact, low feasibility): de-prioritize—often not worth it

Benefits

• Offers a clear view of what to do versus later (or never)
• Ensures resources are not allocated on low value, high-effort work
• Encourages team consensus on priorities