Impact Mapping

Purpose

• To visualize the impact of different project ideas
• To create a shared mental model of project prioritizations.

Facilitation Instructions

• Draw a grid on a whiteboard or use the digital slide template
• As a group, decide on the criteria for evaluation. For example, “Highly Feasible, Highly Desirable” or “Low Effort, High Impact.” Label one axis with one criteria (“High feasibility” and “Low Feasibility”) and the other axis with your second criteria (“High Impact” and “Low Impact”)
• Prompt for additional discussion as needed: What does this map show us about our ideas? Do we agree with the ideas that ended up at the ends of the scales? Why did they end up there?
• You may be able to select a clear “winner” from the mapping; you can also invite participants to vote for their favorite, or discuss: Based on your level of excitement/interest and the impact/effort scale, which project would you like to move forward on for development?

Products Generated

• A mapping of project ideas to a shared set of criteria.
• Consensus around a “top” idea under a shared set of parameters

Reference

Scott Young & Hailey Fargo

Additional Information

• How Now Wow Matrix is a popular variation