Pugh Matrix
Updated 2026-08-13
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A qualitative multi-criteria decision matrix. One option is chosen as the reference or baseline, and every other option is compared with it criterion by criterion, scored as better, same, or worse. Summing the scores yields a ranked verdict. When a team is deadlocked across competing designs, the matrix converts a subjective argument into visible arithmetic that everyone in the room can audit and re-score.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Converts arguments into arithmetic: subjective debate becomes a shared, auditable score table - Centers on one reference: comparison against a single baseline keeps every judgment relative - Exposes trade-offs: strong and weak criteria for each option appear side by side
Anchor fast decisions
Judgment stays polarized while each side argues a whole option all at once. Forcing criterion-by-criterion comparison against a fixed reference decomposes the argument into many small and checkable judgments, whose sum is a ranking that no participant can easily dismiss as a mere matter of taste.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision-matrix_methodverified
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