Matrix
Value vs effort matrix: the four quadrants
How to sort a backlog into Quick Wins, Big Bets, Fill-Ins and Money Pits
The value vs effort matrix is a 2x2 prioritization tool for product teams. Each initiative is placed by the value it delivers and the effort it takes to build. Quick Wins go first, Big Bets need deliberate planning, Fill-Ins wait for spare capacity and Money Pits get dropped. The axis here shows ease, the reverse of effort, so the best quadrant sits top right. Score value from customer evidence, not opinion. Koji can help by running ranking and scale questions with your customers.
Where this appears
What's in this matrix
Vertical axis: Value (Low to High). Horizontal axis: Ease, the reverse of effort (High effort to Low effort).
- Big Bets (High value, High effort ease, the reverse of effort): Plan these deliberately. Strategic, needle-moving, and they need the strongest evidence.
- Quick Wins (High value, Low effort ease, the reverse of effort): Do these first. Real customer impact for little build cost.
- Money Pits (Low value, High effort ease, the reverse of effort): Avoid or kill these. Expensive to build, little payoff.
- Fill-Ins (Low value, Low effort ease, the reverse of effort): Do these when you have spare capacity between larger efforts.
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Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/value-vs-effort-matrix-quick-wins-big-bets"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/value-vs-effort-matrix-quick-wins-big-bets/value-vs-effort-matrix-quick-wins-big-bets.png" alt="Matrix plotting initiatives by value and effort into four quadrants: Quick Wins, Big Bets, Fill-Ins and Money Pits." width="1200" height="630" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/value-vs-effort-matrix-quick-wins-big-bets">Value vs effort matrix: the four quadrants</a>, Koji</p>
