Impact matrix

What is an impact matrix?

An impact matrix, or impact effort matrix, is a tool for measuring the potential business impact and the amount of effort required to complete a task. Organizations use impact matrices to prioritize assignments. 

An impact matrix is composed of four quadrants: 

• Minimal-effort and low business impact

• Maximum-effort and low business impact

• High business impact and minimum-effort

• High business impact and maximum-effort

Why should my company have an impact matrix?

Using an impact matrix can help reduce the cognitive load placed on a team. By knowing precisely which tasks to prioritize, companies can:

• Align teams on project goals

• Maximize efficiency in workflows 

• Save resources 

• Establish continuity amongst tasks 

Is an impact matrix the same as a severity matrix?

In short, no. A severity matrix takes the guesswork out of what level of severity an incident falls under. Many companies classify incidents by severity, which is the method we adopted for our incident response process documentation, too.

In contrast, an impact matrix helps team’s organize their workloads by understanding which tasks are most pressing.  You can use automated tools like FireHydrant to further prioritize tasks. FireHydrant’s customizable options allow you to automate certain incident response processes based on your predetermined requirements, pulling in the appropriate people for specific impact levels.