Your list starts out as an idea bank, like an inbox for top of mind items.
Add notes, flags, and references for later.
Impact vs Effort Planning
For individuals and small teamsThe process
We compare apples to apples by focusing on one criteria at a time (impact or effort), one item at a time.
Not only is this efficient, it usually yields good insights about tradeoffs and complexity.
Refer to the chart and prioritized list, with notes to help remember the specifics of any nuanced items.
- You can share the artifact with customizable permissions
- You can export to markdown, including notes
Free dopamine!
Return to this list, turn on checklist mode, and mark off the progress you've made .
Consider whether to bring unfinished items into your next idea bank, or let them die on the vine.
Get real
Poorly defined tasks, hard tradeoffs, uncertainty, and conflict are a natural part of life and business.
"Popcorn strategizing" is a knee-jerk response, blurring effort and impact on whatever is top of mind:
- 👨 "We should do The Thing, it's super important!"
- 👩 "We should do The Other Thing first, it's sooo easy!"
- 🕺 "But The Current Thing is our top priority!"
^ the worst
Instead, this tool narrows you / your teams focus to one quality at a time, one item at a time, relative only to other current work.
Relative Ranking (IvE Love)
Quick
Navigates uncertainty
No need for predefined criteria
Direct comparisons yield clarity
Doesn't produce time estimates
Doesn't produce metrics
Only works for a few items (<~20)
Estimating (most other tools)
Time-intensive
Wants precision
Criteria can shift over time
Risks isolated thinking
Hitting specific dates
Tracking velocity
Works for a large number of items
Why another tool?
I know you already have a way to track and prioritize items.
Over the lats 20 years, in a professional capacity I've used Jira, Monday, Trello, Asana, physical Kanban boards, and more. In a personal capacity I've used the Getting Things Done system, checklists, reminders, calendars, etc. They're all great for moving things through a queue, making fine-gained tradeoffs, and generally controlling the flow of day-to-day work.
After winding down a chunk of work (a "sprint" or whathaveyou), I want a break from my daily task queue. This humble tool represents my favorite way of setting aside "task mind" and looking curiously toward the future. It works great for aligning small groups, too. This is where I/we go to embrace poorly defined tasks, hard tradeoffs, and uncertainty before someone insists "how many points is that?"