a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 123

Weighted selection

Weighted selection is a method of assessing the benefits of several options or alternative courses of action.

Why use it?

This is a useful tool for group decision making eg when you need to decide which of several courses of action you should follow.

How to use it

1
  • List all the factors that are important in the decision you are making eg time (how quickly can it be put into effect); cost (how cheap will it be to put into practice); management support (how much support it will receive from management); speed of impact (how soon you will see a benefit); etc.
  • 2
  • Give each factor a rating which reflects how important it is with regard to the decision you are making eg if you have endless supplies of money at your disposal, cost (cheapness) may not be a very significant factor and so you would give it a low rating. If it is very important that you see results quickly you would give speed of impact a high rating. Ratings range from 1 to 10 [10 most important).
  • 3
  • List the possible options or courses of action you could take to achieve the factors — try to limit this to five.
  • 4
  • Draw an analysis table showing options across the top and factors along the side.
  • 5
  • Give each option a value against each factor (range 1-10) that describes its strength in satisfying the factor.
  • 6
  • For each option multiply the value by the factor weighting to give a weighted value (Minimum 1 Maximum 100).
  • 7
  • Total the weighted values for each option.
  • 8
  • Discount those options with a relatively low value. If there is a clear winner then use that; if not, re-evaluate the competing options. Remember, although the results are quantitative they are subjective and so should not be regarded as absolute — if you have relevant data then that should be a major factor in reaching a decision.