Solution Selection Matrix Tutorial

When to use this tool

After narrowing the list of solution ideas down to a manageable size, one of the ideas should be selected as an improvement project. Following a structured approach as presented here to classify, review, prioritize and select a solution has several benefits:

• Ensures that solutions with the highest likelihood of success are worked on.
• Provides a clear, consistent, process for decision making.
• Minimizes the potential for wasting resources.

How to use this tool in EngineRoom

1. Open the template from the Improve section of the DMAIC menu or from Lean Tools in the Standard menu.
2. Enter the design objective or problem to which you seek a solution in the designated text box at the top of the template.
3. List descriptions of all the potential solutions to the problem in the first column of the table.
4. Establish and list the criteria which will be used for comparing the solutions against each other - these criteria may include requirements like strategic fit, investment expense, technical feasibility, or development time. The criteria are listed across the top row of the table.
5. Assign each criterion an importance weight on a scale of 1 - 5, where 1 indicates lowest importance and 5 indicates highest importance.
6. Establish weight descriptions ahead of the ratings exercise. In the Weight descriptions table below the solution selection table, list these descriptions - for example, for the rating scale of 1 to 5, describe what a rating of '1' looks like, what a rating of ‘5’ looks like, etc. Repeat this exercise for each criterion.
7. Finally rate each solution against the predetermined criteria. This exercise is typically done by a team using a rating scale of 1 to 5 with 1 meaning the solution does not satisfy the specific criterion and 5 meaning that the solution fully satisfies the criterion.

The template automatically sums up and rank orders the ratings in the matrix. The solution with the highest total sum is the one most likely to succeed based on the combined criteria. If the totals for two or more solutions are close, another round of review and voting may be called for; or a more detailed analysis of the potential solutions may be necessary.

An example of a filled out Solution Selection template is shown below: