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Decisions & Planning

Weighted Decision Matrix Calculator

Your options, criteria, weights, and scores stay in this browser.

Choices

Options

Priorities

Criteria and weights

Evidence

Scores from 1 to 10

CriterionOption AOption B
Impact

How it works

  1. Name two to six options and one to eight criteria.
  2. Give each criterion a point or percentage weight, then score every option from 1 to 10.
  3. Calculate the normalized ranking and inspect how each criterion contributed to the total.
  4. Export a formula-safe CSV, or import the same documented shape later.

Limits

  • A weighted result makes the assumptions visible. It does not make the decision for you.
  • Weights must total more than zero, and every option needs a score for every criterion.
  • The editor holds two to six options and one to eight criteria.
  • Matrix contents are not saved, placed in the URL, or sent to analytics.

Make tradeoffs explicit

What is a weighted decision matrix?

A shared scoring model

A weighted decision matrix compares the same options against the same criteria. Each criterion gets an importance weight, each option gets a score, and the calculator combines those judgments into a ranked total. The value is not mathematical certainty. It is a visible record of what mattered and how the ranking was produced.

Best for plausible alternatives

Use it for supplier selection, project priorities, product choices, hiring rubrics, or any decision with several credible options and competing factors. If the options are genuinely interchangeable, the random choice picker is the simpler tool.

Transparent scoring

How the weighted score is calculated

The calculator first normalizes every criterion: criterion weight divided by the sum of all weights. It then multiplies each 1-to-10 score by that criterion's normalized weight and adds the contributions. The result stays on the same 1-to-10 scale, which makes options easy to compare even when your raw weights do not add up to 100.

option total = Σ(score × criterion weight ÷ total weight)

A zero weight keeps a criterion in the worksheet but removes its effect from the result. Equal totals share the same rank, and the original option order is preserved inside a tie.

Worked example

Suppose cost has weight 5, reliability 3, and delivery speed 2. Option A scores 8, 6, and 7, producing (40 + 18 + 14) ÷ 10 = 7.2. Option B scores 6, 9, and 8, producing (30 + 27 + 16) ÷ 10 = 7.3. Option B ranks first, but the narrow gap tells you to inspect the assumptions before treating it as a decisive win.

Better inputs

How to get a useful ranking

  1. Define the decision first

    Write one decision and one time horizon. Mixing short-term price with long-term strategy without naming the horizon makes the scores hard to interpret.

  2. Give the scale anchors

    Agree on what 1, 5, and 10 mean for each criterion before scoring. A 10 for cost should represent the same kind of fit across every option.

  3. Score before debating the winner

    Judge each option against the criterion, then look at the totals. Editing scores only to force a preferred result defeats the audit trail.

  4. Test the close calls

    Change one uncertain weight or score and recalculate. If the winner flips easily, record the decision as sensitive instead of presenting a false margin of confidence.