Score each factor 0 to 5. The seven green factors push an idea up; the two amber ones (difficulty, time) push it down. Weights are fixed: capability gap counts most, difficulty and time are netted off. Set your confidence in the numbers, and the score is damped when you're guessing.
New to this? What each column means and how to score
You're ranking a list of things you could do. Every factor is scored 0 to 5, where 0 means none or already fine and 5 means a lot. You don't need any of the jargon; each column is in plain English below.
- List your ideas, one per row. Rename the examples or add your own with + Add idea.
- Score each idea on the nine factors, 0 to 5. The seven green factors push it up the list; the two amber ones (difficulty and time) push it down.
- Set how confident you are in the numbers. If you are guessing, choose Low, and the tool quietly trims the score so hunches don't outrank things you actually know.
- Read the Start here box, then the grouped list below. Quick wins and critical items jump the queue whatever their raw total.
- Gap (counts most)
- The distance between where this capability is now and where it needs to be. 0 = already where you need it. 5 = a wide gap that's hurting you.
- Commercial
- How much revenue, margin, cash or business value this idea moves. 0 = none. 5 = a large, direct effect on the money.
- Risk
- How much of a real threat it removes. 0 = removes no risk. 5 = defuses something that could seriously hurt the business.
- Strategic
- How central it is to how the business actually makes money and competes. 0 = a side issue. 5 = core to the model.
- Urgency
- Whether it needs dealing with now. 0 = no time pressure. 5 = a live problem getting worse by the week.
- Customer
- How much customers would feel it. 0 = invisible to them. 5 = changes their experience noticeably.
- CSF
- Critical success factor: how much this is a thing you simply have to get right to compete in your industry. 0 = not a factor in your sector. 5 = table stakes.
- Difficulty (counts against)
- How hard it is to actually pull off. 0 = easy. 5 = a major undertaking. Higher difficulty lowers the score.
- Time (counts against)
- How long until you'd see a measurable result. 0 = weeks. 5 = a year or more. Longer time lowers the score.
- Confidence
- How sure you are of the numbers in that row. Low confidence shaves the score so a confident, evidenced idea beats a hopeful guess.
- The bands
- Critical: top of this list plus a live trigger (urgent, or high risk), so do it first. Quick win: real value, easy and fast, so bank it now. High value: above the middle, schedule next. Monitor: below the middle but evidenced. Defer: below the middle and mostly a hunch.
| Idea | Gap | Comm. | Risk | Strat. | Urg. | Cust. | CSF | Diff. | Time | Conf. | Score | Band |
|---|
Start here
The critical items and quick wins jump the queue, whatever their raw score.
Once the winners are clear, the Initiative Value Tracker puts a number on each; a Commercial Assessment builds the picture from evidence, and the APG Platform gives each chosen initiative an owner and reconciles it against your accounts.
A structured argument, not an oracle. Any scoring model can be gamed by whoever enters the numbers, and a decimal score implies a precision the judgements behind it don't have. Bands are relative to the ideas you enter: "critical" means top of this list plus a live trigger (urgency 5 or risk 4+); "quick win" means meaningful value with low difficulty and fast impact, regardless of total score. Weights are APG's, fixed for every business. Not financial advice.
The highest score is not automatically the thing to do first.
A good prioritisation surfaces the cheap, fast win and the live risk that a gut ranking buries. A Commercial Assessment turns the chosen few into valued, owned initiatives.
Start with a Commercial Assessment →Not ready to talk? Find your constraint in 60 seconds →