How to set up custom prioritization scores

Overview

Custom prioritization scores let you define how Opportunities and Solutions are evaluated in TheyDo. By creating your own scoring models, you give your team a consistent, transparent way to compare problems and investments — using frameworks that reflect how your organization actually makes decisions.

Before you start

Only Admins can create or edit custom prioritization scores.

Accessing prioritization settings

Click Settings in the bottom-left corner.
Select Taxonomy in the left sidebar.
Click Prioritization scores.

Scores for Opportunities vs. Solutions

You can define scores for Opportunities, Solutions, or both.

In most cases, it's worth keeping them separate:

Opportunity scores evaluate how important or impactful a problem is.
Solution scores evaluate feasibility, effort, and expected return.

You can use the same framework across both if your team prefers a unified model — but separating them tends to lead to clearer decision-making, since evaluating a problem and evaluating a solution are different activities.

Input scores and computed scores

There are two types of prioritization scores.

Input scores are values that users enter directly. For example, a "Customer value" score with a range of 0–100, or an arbitrary value like revenue or MAUs.

Computed scores are calculated from multiple input scores. For example, a "Value" score computed from "Customer value" and "Business value." Computed scores can also be used as underlying scores inside other computed scores.

Setting up an input score

Click Add input score in the input scores list.
Add a Title and Description.
Choose your input type:

Scale-based input Use this for subjective assessments with a defined numeric range.

Set a step size, min, and max value.
Example: Step size 1, Min 0, Max 5 → available values [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Example: Step size 0.1, Min −2, Max 2 → available values [−2.0, −1.9, … 2.0]

Arbitrary value input Use this for real-world metrics like revenue or active users.

Select a Unit (or create your own).
Users can enter any numeric value rather than selecting from a predefined scale.

Tip: Scale-based inputs work well for subjective assessments like importance or impact. Arbitrary values work better for objective metrics like revenue, active users, or ticket volume. You can mix both types in the same scoring setup.

Setting up a computed score

Click Add computed score in the computed scores list.
Add a Title and Description.
Add the scores that will serve as the underlying inputs.
Choose your computation method: weighted average or formula.
Optionally set a min and max to scale the output to your preferred range (for example, displaying a 1–5 score as 0–100%).

Method 1: Weighted average

A weighted average combines multiple scores into one result. Each score's influence is determined by its assigned weight.

Use this when you want to blend several criteria into a single composite score.

Framework	Input scores	How to set up
Weighted Scoring	Any criteria	Add all criteria as underlying scores and assign weights
Cost of Delay	User Value, Time Criticality, Risk Reduction	Add all three with equal or adjusted weights
PIE	Potential, Importance, Ease	Add all three with equal weights
DFV	Desirability, Feasibility, Viability	Add all three with equal or custom weights

Example: If "Tech effort" should have more influence than "Marketing effort", set "Tech effort" to weight 2 and "Marketing effort" to weight 1. With values of 60 and 30 respectively, the weighted average is 50 — compared to 45 using a simple average.

Method 2: Formula

A formula lets you define how underlying scores are combined using arithmetic operations (multiply, divide, add, subtract).

Use this when the relationship between scores can't be represented as a weighted average.

Framework	Input scores	Formula
RICE	Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort	(Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort
ICE	Impact, Confidence, Ease	Impact × Confidence × Ease
Value × Effort	Value, Effort	Value / Effort
WSJF	User Value, Time Criticality, Risk Reduction, Job Size	Cost of Delay = User Value + Time Criticality + Risk Reduction, then Cost of Delay / Job Size
GUT Matrix	Gravity, Urgency, Tendency	Gravity × Urgency × Tendency
ROI	Benefit, Cost	(Benefit − Cost) / Cost
Payback Period	Initial Investment, Cash Flow per Year	Initial Investment / Cash Flow per Year

Note: Weighted average and formula are separate methods — you choose one when setting up a computed score.

App defaults

You can set one score as the Main prioritization score. This score appears on Opportunity cards within a Journey and helps your team know which score to treat as the primary reference.

Using the matrix

Once you've set up scores, you can use the matrix view to visualize and compare Opportunities or Solutions.

Opportunity Matrix

Plots Opportunities on two axes using your defined scores. You can set default scores for each axis to standardize how your team views priorities.

Common configurations:

X: Effort, Y: Value — identify high-value, low-effort Opportunities
X: Satisfaction, Y: Importance — Kano-style analysis
X: Business Value, Y: Customer Value — compare impact across audiences

Solution Matrix

Works the same way, but for Solutions.

Common configurations:

X: Effort, Y: Expected Impact — identify quick wins and strategic investments
X: Cost, Y: ROI — compare return across Solutions
X: Feasibility, Y: Desirability — DFV-style evaluation

Tip: Use the Opportunity Matrix to decide which problems to focus on, then use the Solution Matrix to compare how to solve them.

Tips

Involve the people who use TheyDo when defining your scoring model. A framework that reflects how your team already makes decisions is one they'll actually use.
TheyDo includes a set of standard prioritization scores to help you get started — you can build on these or create your own from scratch.