Where should I go on holiday?

Every year people will decide with their families or friends where to go on holiday. We’ve designed a weighted decision matrix template to help you make that holiday decision. Usually the discussion will start in the dark winter months when we start to miss the heat of the sun or start dreaming of the bright lights of the ski slopes. The adverts start appearing on the TV showing us wonderful destinations and promising the holiday of a lifetime. Sounds familiar?
The more people involved in the decision, the harder it will be to choose a holiday that suits everyone. If there’s only the two of you and you’re young and all loved up, chances are you’ll be happy wherever you end up (even in a grotty apartment in a tower block in Ibiza). If you’re in a family of four or five then the whole holiday decision can become a nightmare, especially if you have teenagers!

At this stage (with a family) you tend to have two options. You could become a dictator, after all it’s your money that’s buying this holiday so they can all darn well go where you want to go! You might be happy with this in the winter months but once on holiday have you noticed how all the problems are suddenly your fault! Your other choice is to go all democratic and discuss the various options. Unless you’re some kind of management consultant and can lead a focussed, calm discussion minus all the emotion this can very quickly descend into an argument of huge proportions. Little Johnny wants to see the sea but Mum (who has put on a few pounds recently) wouldn’t be seen dead in a swimsuit in public and so it goes on!

Example of a Weighted Decision Matrix

Our weighted decision matrix could be a big help to you. You can compare and contrast very easily between your various options and hopefully decide where to go on holiday.

Have you ever taken any really bad holiday decisions or do you have any other factors that you always take into account when deciding where to go? Let us know in the comments or via Twitter and Facebook to the right.

Which games console should I buy for Christmas?

Games Console

This post is a little dated now but the same principal still applies, a weighted decision matrix will definitely help you to decide which console to buy.

Xbox? Playstation 3? Wii U? PC? Tablet? Smart Phone? PSP?, DSi?, DSi 3D?!?? Ahhh, which games console should I buy for Christmas? If like me you don’t know your nunchucks from your Mario’s choosing which games console to buy can be a nightmare of a process. So why not use a weighted decision matrix template?

All of the different games consoles have their pros and cons but when it comes down to it, they are all pretty good. Much better than the ZX Spectrum I grew up with anyway! Understanding which one to get is more about what you want to use it for rather than which one is best as that is a debate you can join in below in the comments. Like I said they are all good!

So what differentiates them and why should you care? The biggest difference in the consoles I listed is whether or not they are handheld or you plug them into the TV (or a monitor in the PC’s case). You also have to consider the cost of course plus the suitability of the games for those who are going to be playing them. The Wii for example caters for younger gamers. Do you also want your console to be able to connect to the internet or play Blu Ray’s? Are you happy to play games on a tablet or phone?

Do you care about high definition graphics or is the gameplay more important? Bundle the factors up into a decision matrix and this should help you to be able to make your decision. Let us know what you decided in the comments.

When to use a Weighted Decision Matrix

When to use a Weighted Decision Matrix?

A weighted decision matrix should be used to reach an answer when you have a choice between a number of different options that provide a solution to your question or problem. Furthermore, you need to consider each option against a number of factors involved in the decision making process. For example, when choosing a holiday, you have many potential destinations to choose between and must consider each against factors such as cost and the weather.

Some decisions are easy, some are much more difficult because of the number of options to choose between and the factors involved in the decision.  Do I eat an apple or an orange is a simple question to answer and we’re guessing not many people would need a weighted decision matrix for that one, but what if you’re deciding something much more complex?  For example, you need to pick a school for your child to attend or you need to decide which software solution meets your employers complex needs?  Suddenly there are many more factors to consider and the weighted decision matrix comes into play. Take the choice of school: things to consider would include the standard of teaching; the distance from home; are little Jimmy’s friends also going there; the sporting facilities; after school care etc.  The weighted decision matrix allows you to weight each of those factors by importance so that you can make a decision based on what are actually the most important factors.  Giving each factor a value strips out some of the emotion involved when taking a decision because you are being honest with yourself about what really matters.  Jimmy will be able to make new friends so that factor from a practical point of view is less important than the distance from home the school is.  In this way your decision becomes an objective rather than a subjective one.  Now you can go and download one of our weighted decision matrix templates and start to think about the decisions you need to make.

Example of a Weighted Decision Matrix

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