Which category hurts most?

Score each category on urgency, cost, and ease of proving value. Your leader appears as soon as you finish one - score more to compare, or move to Stage 2 when you're ready.

Urgency

How much is this hurting your business right now?

1 = mild annoyance
3 = a steady drag
5 = costing you money this week

Cost

How much money or time does it drain each month?

1 = a few minutes here and there
3 = hours every week
5 = thousands of dollars or many hours

Quick win

How easily can you prove a result within 30 days?

1 = hard to measure, slow to show
3 = measurable with some effort
5 = obvious, fast, easy to track

See it in action

Most businesses feel all three at some level, but one is almost always costing more than the others right now. Score the categories that feel relevant and stop when you have a clear leader.

Home services company: Revenue Leak only

Leads pour in but follow-up takes two days. Prospects book with whoever calls back first. Cost and risk are background noise. Revenue is the fire. One category scored, answer clear.

Bookkeeping firm: Cost Drain vs Revenue Leak

Staff rekey client data across three systems all day. Leads are steady. Scoring two categories confirms Cost Drain wins by a wide margin. No need to score Risk to know where to start.

Medical practice: Risk Exposure only

Front-desk staff are pasting patient details into free AI tools with no policy or oversight. Revenue is stable, admin is manageable. The risk here is too significant to debate. One category, one answer.

Score your specific problem

Categories are buckets. Problems are what you score. Name the one specific thing within your priority category and rate it on the same three dimensions.

Your priority category from Stage 1

What is the one specific problem you will solve first?

Be specific. “Fix our sales process” is too broad. “Proposals take two days and prospects go with whoever responds first” gives you something you can score and measure.

Now score this specific problem (1 = low, 5 = high)

A planning tool from Z-JAK Technologies · The 3-Decision Framework