Free template: problem-ranking worksheet
This is the worksheet behind how to rank problems. Read that first if you haven't used the method. It takes about 20 minutes with the staff in the room.
Get the spreadsheet
Download the worksheet as a CSV file. Open it in Google Sheets or Excel. The Total column adds up the three scores for you. Sort by Total, highest first.
Or print this page and fill in the table by hand.
How to score
Give each problem a 1 to 5 on each of these.
- Pain: how much it hurts the people who deal with it. 5 means they dread it or it causes mistakes.
- Payoff: how much the business gains if it's fixed. 5 means a lot of hours or money.
- Speed: how fast you could fix it. 5 means a day or less, 1 means weeks.
The worksheet
| Problem, in one sentence | Who feels it | Hours a week | Pain | Payoff | Speed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | ||||||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 4. | ||||||
| 5. | ||||||
| 6. | ||||||
| 7. | ||||||
| 8. |
Tie-breakers
If two problems tie, use these in order.
- Pick the one with the higher Speed score
- Pick the one the affected person is most eager to see fixed
- Pick the one with the lower risk (nothing involving payroll, payments, or health records first)