Speed-to-Value Matrix™
A simple framework I developed for choosing what creates value fast and what can wait. It builds on ideas I wrote about in Billions of Small Minds.
Most teams try to do too much.
Not because they lack focus, but because everything sounds important when you say it out loud.
The truth is simple.
Some ideas create value fast.
Some take a long time.
Some never pay off.
The hard part is not generating ideas.
It is the alignment.
Getting everyone to agree on what to do first is where things break down.
Most planning tools compare impact to effort.
They miss the more important question: how fast the impact will arrive.
Effort is not the real constraint.
Speed of impact is.
Why speed is the real constraint
Speed matters because the world does not wait.
Markets shift faster than planning cycles.
AI lowers barriers to entry.
Customers change expectations quickly.
In that kind of environment, the constraint is not how hard something is.
The constraint is how long it takes to learn whether it works.
Fast learning creates momentum. Slow learning kills it.
Effort matters, but speed matters more.
Speed of impact is what keeps you aligned with reality.
It determines whether you compound learning or fall behind.
A small idea that proves value fast beats a big idea that reveals nothing for six months.
You can always scale something that works.
You cannot fix something that teaches you nothing.
The core idea
Judge every idea by three things.
How much it matters.
How fast it creates value.
How hard it is to do.
Impact.
Speed.
Scope.
These are not equal.
Speed is the governing constraint.
Impact is the reason to move.
Scope shapes how you roll it out.
The matrix
Below is the Speed-to-Value Matrix.
Impact on the vertical axis.
Speed of impact on the horizontal axis.
Deploy Now
High Impact.
Fast Speed.
Invest and Sequence
High Impact.
Slow Speed.
Experiment
Low Impact.
Fast Speed.
Defer
Low Impact.
Slow Speed.
Scope, the third dimension
Scope is how many people and systems need to change.
That is all you need to know.
Scope does not move ideas between quadrants.
Impact and Speed already do that.
Scope tells you how to handle an idea once it is in the right place.
Scope helps in four practical ways.
1. It prioritizes ideas inside a quadrant
Low Scope moves early.
High Scope needs more preparation.
2. It simplifies big ideas
If an idea is High Impact and Fast Speed but High Scope, shrink it.
Find the version that creates fast value with less disruption.
3. It prevents overload
Too many High Scope initiatives will stall a team.
Scope makes the hidden load visible.
4. It breaks ties
When two ideas have similar Impact and Speed, Scope decides priority.
Simple guidance:
Low Scope moves fast
Medium Scope needs sequencing
High Scope needs simplification and senior ownership
How to use the framework
1. List the ideas.
Ten to thirty is plenty.
2. Score each idea.
Impact. Speed. Scope.
Use a simple one to ten scale.
3. Plot by Impact and Speed.
Place ideas roughly. Precision is not the goal.
4. Use Scope to set intensity.
Low Scope moves fast.
Medium Scope needs a plan.
High Scope moves only after simplification and sponsorship.
5. Turn the map into a plan.
Deploy Now becomes near term priorities.
Invest and Sequence becomes mid term bets.
Experiment becomes time boxed tests.
Defer becomes not now.
An example
Below is a practical example using AI and operations initiatives.
Each numbered dot marks one idea and is color coded by Scope.
Green is Low Scope.
Yellow is Medium Scope.
Red is High Scope.
High Impact and Fast Speed goes first.
High Impact and Slow Speed gets a plan.
Low Impact and Fast Speed gets a small test.
Low Impact and Slow Speed gets dropped.
This is why the matrix works. It makes the sequence obvious.
Why this works
It forces focus.
It cuts through wishful thinking.
It stops teams from treating everything as a priority.
It turns noise into a clear plan.
It aligns the team around learning speed.
It helps you move quickly without burning people out.
The Speed-to-Value Framework focuses teams on work that creates value fast.
It is a simple system for a world that moves faster every day.
Scott