Free Decision Matrix Maker

A decision matrix is a grid where rows are evaluation criteria and columns are options. Each cell holds a score for how well that option satisfies that criterion. A weight column scales each criterion by its importance. The weighted scores are summed per option, producing a single ranked total.

The point is not the number — any scoring system can be gamed — but the conversation it forces. Building the matrix makes the team explicit about what they are optimizing for (the criteria) and how they value each dimension (the weights). Those two decisions usually clarify the choice more than the final score.

The tool is especially useful when a decision has multiple stakeholders with different priorities. A shared matrix lets each stakeholder see where their preferred option scores well or poorly, and disagreements surface at the weighting stage — the right place to have them.

Decision matrices and decision trees solve different problems. A matrix helps you pick among known options by scoring them on multiple dimensions. A tree helps you navigate a series of yes/no questions to reach an outcome.

Use a matrix when the options are fixed and you need to choose (which vendor, which feature, which candidate). Use a tree when the outcome depends on conditions (if user is new, show onboarding; if returning, skip to content).

Both tools are available on GraphMake. This matrix maker lives here; decision trees live at decision tree maker.

Keep criteria to 4–7 rows. More than that and the weighting becomes guesswork and the matrix loses signal. If you have too many criteria, group related ones into categories (e.g., "cost" = license + implementation + training).

Use consistent scoring scales. If one criterion is 1-5 and another is 1-100, the higher-range criterion will dominate the total regardless of weights. Pick one scale (1-5 or 1-10) and use it everywhere.

Sanity-check the winner. If the math picks an option that everyone on the team intuitively disagrees with, usually the weights are wrong. Adjust weights until the matrix reflects the team's actual priorities.

Save the matrix. Weeks later, when someone asks "why did we pick X?", the saved matrix is a defensible record of how the choice was made.