The Weighting System

Not all criteria in a decision are created equal. Some factors are existential to the success of a choice, while others are simply "nice to have". The Weighting System controls the mathematical relationship between a specific Criterion and the final tabulated score.

Axiom supports two primary environments for Criteria Weighting:

1. Multiplier (Priority Labels)

Criteria act as priority multipliers against the raw Option scores based on assigned labels (e.g., Low, Medium, High, Critical).

• Mechanism: If an option scores a "10" on a criterion, that "10" is modified by the multiplier attached to the criterion's priority label (e.g., a "High" importance metric might apply a 1.25x multiplier, while a "Low" metric applies a 0.75x multiplier).
• Use Case: Best when teams want flexibility to add new criteria on the fly without worrying about how it negatively cannibalizes the importance of existing criteria.

2. 100-Point Budget (Percentage)

Criteria importance is strictly budgeted out of a fixed 100% total pool.

• Mechanism: The total relative value of all criteria combined must exactly equal 100%. (e.g., Criterion A takes 50%, Criterion B takes 25%, Criterion C takes 25%). The scores are then weighted according to these exact percentage allocations.
• Use Case: Best when forcing prioritization. By placing a hard cap (100%), it eliminates the tendency for teams to mark every single criterion as "High Priority". Adding a new requirement means you must logically reduce the importance of something else, creating a highly disciplined evaluation model.

Note: When switching a project's Weighting Style from Multiplier to Percentage, the engine will automatically reset your criteria weights to an even split (e.g., 50/50, 33/33/33) to ensure mathematical alignment before you begin adjusting the budget.