decision-matrix

name	decision-matrix
description	Creates weighted decision matrices for business choices with criteria, scoring, and recommendation logic to remove emotion from decisions.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"Salah-XD","version":"1.0"}

Decision Matrix

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Compare multiple business options using objective, weighted criteria
• Make a hiring, vendor, tool, or strategy decision with clear reasoning
• Remove emotional bias from a business choice by scoring options systematically
• Document decision rationale for stakeholders or future reference

DO NOT use this skill for simple yes/no decisions, personal life choices, or decisions where one option is already clearly superior. This is for complex, multi-criteria business decisions.

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Core Principle

A DECISION MATRIX DOES NOT MAKE THE DECISION FOR YOU — IT MAKES YOUR THINKING VISIBLE SO YOU CAN SPOT WHERE INTUITION AND DATA AGREE OR CONFLICT.

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Phase 1: Frame the Decision

Define the decision clearly before building the matrix.

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Decision statement	"What specific decision are you making? State it as a question."	No default — must be provided
Options	"What are your 2-5 options?"	No default — minimum 2 required
Criteria	"What factors matter most in this decision? (cost, speed, quality, risk, etc.)"	Suggest 5-7 based on decision type
Stakeholders	"Who is affected by or needs to approve this decision?"	Solopreneur (self)
Timeline	"When does this decision need to be made?"	This week

Decision Types and Suggested Criteria

Decision Type	Suggested Criteria
Tool/Software	Cost, ease of use, features, integrations, scalability, support
Vendor/Partner	Price, quality, reliability, communication, experience, terms
Hire	Skills match, culture fit, availability, rate, portfolio quality
Strategy	Revenue impact, effort, risk, time to results, alignment with goals
Market/Product	Market size, competition, margin potential, execution difficulty

GATE: Confirm the decision statement, options, and criteria before building the matrix.

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Phase 2: Weight and Score

Build the matrix with weighted criteria and score each option.

Weighting Criteria

Assign weights that total 100% across all criteria:

## Criteria Weights

| Criteria | Weight | Rationale |
|----------|--------|-----------|
| Revenue impact | 30% | Directly tied to business goal |
| Implementation effort | 25% | Limited resources as solopreneur |
| Risk level | 20% | Cannot afford major setbacks |
| Time to results | 15% | Need wins within 90 days |
| Scalability | 10% | Important but not urgent |
| **Total** | **100%** | |

Scoring Options

Score each option 1-5 on every criterion with brief justification:

## Decision Matrix: [Decision Statement]

| Criteria | Weight | Option A | Score | Option B | Score | Option C | Score |
|----------|--------|----------|-------|----------|-------|----------|-------|
| Revenue impact | 30% | [rationale] | 4 | [rationale] | 3 | [rationale] | 5 |
| Effort | 25% | [rationale] | 3 | [rationale] | 5 | [rationale] | 2 |
| Risk | 20% | [rationale] | 4 | [rationale] | 4 | [rationale] | 3 |
| Time to results | 15% | [rationale] | 5 | [rationale] | 3 | [rationale] | 2 |
| Scalability | 10% | [rationale] | 3 | [rationale] | 4 | [rationale] | 5 |

## Weighted Scores

| Option | Weighted Score | Rank |
|--------|---------------|------|
| Option A | 3.80 | 1 |
| Option C | 3.40 | 2 |
| Option B | 3.85 | 1 |

GATE: Present the scored matrix and get user validation on scores before delivering the recommendation.

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Phase 3: Recommend

Deliver a clear recommendation with reasoning.

Recommendation Format

## Recommendation

**Winner:** [Option] with a weighted score of [X.XX]

**Why this wins:** [2-3 sentences explaining the key differentiators]

**Key trade-off:** [What you give up by choosing this option vs. the runner-up]

**Gut check:** Does this match your intuition? If the matrix says Option A but your gut says Option B, examine which criteria might be underweighted.

Sensitivity Analysis

Test whether the result holds if weights shift:

• "If you increased [criteria] weight by 10%, [Option X] would overtake [Option Y]"
• Flag any decision where the top two options are within 0.3 points — this means the decision is close and additional factors may matter

Risk Flags

Note any option that scores below 2 on a high-weight criterion, even if the total score is high. A single critical weakness can sink an otherwise strong option.

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Phase 4: Document

Provide a decision record for future reference.

Decision Record Template

## Decision Record

**Decision:** [Statement]
**Date:** [Date]
**Decision maker:** [Name]
**Chosen option:** [Option]
**Weighted score:** [X.XX]
**Key reasons:** [3 bullet points]
**Key risks:** [Known risks of the chosen option]
**Review date:** [When to evaluate if this was the right call]

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Anti-Patterns

• Too many criteria — more than 7 criteria dilutes the signal. Force-rank and keep the top 5-7.
• Equal weights — giving every criterion 20% means you have not thought about what matters most.
• Scoring without justification — a score of 4 means nothing without a one-line rationale.
• Ignoring gut disagreement — if the matrix says one thing and your instinct says another, the weights are probably wrong.
• Using a matrix for obvious decisions — if you already know the answer, do not build a matrix to justify it.

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Recovery

• User cannot identify criteria: Suggest 5 based on the decision type (see table above) and ask them to remove any that do not apply.
• Options are too similar: Add differentiating criteria or increase the scoring granularity to 1-10 instead of 1-5.
• Scores are all 3s: Challenge the user — "A 3 means average. Is this option truly average on [criteria], or is it actually a 2 or 4?" Push for honest differentiation.
• User disagrees with the result: Ask which score they would change. Often one re-scored criterion flips the result, revealing what they actually value most.
• Stakeholders disagree on weights: Have each stakeholder assign weights independently, then average them. Discuss any criteria where weights diverge by more than 15%.