Effort / Reward Matrix

High REWARD
Tick Quick wins / low hanging fruit
Tick Major projects / big bets
LOW REWARD
Tick Fill-ins / incremental gains
Tick Time sinks / thankless tasks
LOW EFFORT High EFFORT

Use this model when:

  1. You need to prioritize potential actionable initiatives when creating a strategy implementation plan based on the amount of effort required and the expected rewards or outcomes. This matrix helps you identify which tasks or projects offer the highest return on investment relative to the effort involved.
  2. You want to avoid wasting effort on low reward initiatives. Simply put - is the initiative worth doing? Will it take you away from core activities with little return?
  3. You want to identify initiatives that can provide quick wins.