Solution Evaluation Calculator
This calculator helps you make informed decisions by evaluating different solutions against a set of weighted criteria. It's a powerful tool for structured problem-solving, allowing you to compare options objectively and identify the best fit based on your priorities.
How it Works:
- Define Your Solutions: List the different options or approaches you are considering.
- Identify Your Criteria: Determine the key factors you will use to evaluate each solution (e.g., Cost, Time, Effectiveness, Risk, Ease of Implementation).
- Assign Weights: Give each criterion a weight (e.g., 1-10), reflecting its importance to your decision. A higher number means more importance.
- Score Each Solution: For each solution, rate how well it performs against each criterion (e.g., 1-5), where a higher score indicates better performance.
- Calculate: The calculator will compute a total weighted score for each solution, helping you see which one aligns best with your objectives.
Example Scenario: Choosing Project Management Software
Imagine a small business needs to select new project management software. They've identified three potential solutions (Option A, Option B, Option C) and four key criteria:
- Cost: How expensive is the software? (Weight: 8)
- Ease of Use: How quickly can the team learn and adopt it? (Weight: 9)
- Features: Does it have all the necessary functionalities? (Weight: 10)
- Support: Quality of customer service and documentation. (Weight: 7)
They then score each software against these criteria (1-5, 5 being best):
- Option A: Cost (3), Ease of Use (4), Features (5), Support (4)
- Option B: Cost (4), Ease of Use (5), Features (4), Support (5)
- Option C: Cost (5), Ease of Use (3), Features (3), Support (3)
Using the calculator with these inputs, the weighted scores would be:
- Option A: (3*8) + (4*9) + (5*10) + (4*7) = 24 + 36 + 50 + 28 = 138
- Option B: (4*8) + (5*9) + (4*10) + (5*7) = 32 + 45 + 40 + 35 = 152
- Option C: (5*8) + (3*9) + (3*10) + (3*7) = 40 + 27 + 30 + 21 = 118
In this example, Option B emerges as the recommended solution with the highest weighted score of 152, indicating it best meets the company's priorities.
.solution-evaluation-calculator {
font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;
max-width: 800px;
margin: 20px auto;
padding: 25px;
border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
border-radius: 8px;
background-color: #fdfdfd;
box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
}
.solution-evaluation-calculator h2,
.solution-evaluation-calculator h3 {
color: #333;
border-bottom: 2px solid #4CAF50;
padding-bottom: 10px;
margin-top: 25px;
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.solution-evaluation-calculator p {
line-height: 1.6;
color: #555;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
.calculator-form label {
display: inline-block;
margin-bottom: 5px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #444;
width: 120px; /* Fixed width for labels */
}
.calculator-form input[type="text"],
.calculator-form input[type="number"] {
width: calc(100% – 130px); /* Adjust width based on label */
padding: 8px 10px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 4px;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
.calculator-form input[type="number"] {
width: 60px; /* Smaller width for weights and scores */
text-align: center;
margin-right: 10px;
}
.criterion-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
.criterion-row label {
width: 150px; /* Adjust for criterion name label */
margin-right: 10px;
}
.criterion-row input[type="text"] {
flex-grow: 1;
width: auto; /* Allow text input to grow */
margin-right: 10px;
}
.criterion-row input[type="number"] {
width: 60px;
}
.score-matrix {
width: 100%;
border-collapse: collapse;
margin-top: 20px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.score-matrix th,
.score-matrix td {
border: 1px solid #ddd;
padding: 10px;
text-align: center;
}
.score-matrix th {
background-color: #f2f2f2;
font-weight: bold;
color: #333;
}
.score-matrix td input[type="number"] {
width: 50px;
padding: 5px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 3px;
}
.score-matrix td:first-child {
text-align: left;
font-weight: bold;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
}
.solution-evaluation-calculator button {
background-color: #4CAF50;
color: white;
padding: 12px 20px;
border: none;
border-radius: 5px;
cursor: pointer;
font-size: 16px;
margin-top: 20px;
transition: background-color 0.3s ease;
}
.solution-evaluation-calculator button:hover {
background-color: #45a049;
}
.calculator-result {
margin-top: 30px;
padding: 20px;
border: 1px solid #d4edda;
background-color: #dff0d8;
border-radius: 8px;
color: #155724;
font-size: 1.1em;
line-height: 1.8;
}
.calculator-result strong {
color: #28a745;
}
.calculator-result ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding: 0;
}
.calculator-result ul li {
margin-bottom: 8px;
padding-left: 20px;
position: relative;
}
.calculator-result ul li::before {
content: '•';
color: #28a745;
position: absolute;
left: 0;
}
.calculator-result .recommended {
font-weight: bold;
color: #007bff;
font-size: 1.2em;
margin-top: 15px;
}
function calculateSolutionScores() {
var solutionNames = [];
solutionNames[0] = document.getElementById("solutionName1").value.trim();
solutionNames[1] = document.getElementById("solutionName2").value.trim();
solutionNames[2] = document.getElementById("solutionName3").value.trim();
var criterionNames = [];
criterionNames[0] = document.getElementById("criterionName1").value.trim();
criterionNames[1] = document.getElementById("criterionName2").value.trim();
criterionNames[2] = document.getElementById("criterionName3").value.trim();
criterionNames[3] = document.getElementById("criterionName4").value.trim();
var criterionWeights = [];
criterionWeights[0] = parseFloat(document.getElementById("criterionWeight1").value);
criterionWeights[1] = parseFloat(document.getElementById("criterionWeight2").value);
criterionWeights[2] = parseFloat(document.getElementById("criterionWeight3").value);
criterionWeights[3] = parseFloat(document.getElementById("criterionWeight4").value);
// Update table headers with criterion names
for (var i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
if (criterionNames[i]) {
document.getElementById("headerCriterion" + (i + 1)).innerText = criterionNames[i];
} else {
document.getElementById("headerCriterion" + (i + 1)).innerText = "Criterion " + (i + 1);
}
}
// Update table headers with solution names
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
if (solutionNames[i]) {
document.getElementById("headerSolution" + (i + 1)).innerText = solutionNames[i];
} else {
document.getElementById("headerSolution" + (i + 1)).innerText = "Solution " + (i + 1);
}
}
var solutionScores = [];
var maxScore = -1;
var bestSolutionIndex = -1;
var resultsHtml = "
Calculation Results:
";
for (var s = 0; s < 3; s++) { // Loop through solutions
if (!solutionNames[s]) {
continue; // Skip if solution name is empty
}
var currentSolutionTotalScore = 0;
var hasValidScores = false;
for (var c = 0; c < 4; c++) { // Loop through criteria
if (!criterionNames[c] || isNaN(criterionWeights[c]) || criterionWeights[c] 10) {
continue; // Skip if criterion name or weight is invalid
}
var scoreId = "score_s" + (s + 1) + "_c" + (c + 1);
var score = parseFloat(document.getElementById(scoreId).value);
if (!isNaN(score) && score >= 1 && score <= 5) {
currentSolutionTotalScore += (score * criterionWeights[c]);
hasValidScores = true;
}
}
if (hasValidScores) {
solutionScores[s] = currentSolutionTotalScore;
resultsHtml += "- " + solutionNames[s] + ": Total Weighted Score = " + currentSolutionTotalScore.toFixed(0) + "
";
if (currentSolutionTotalScore > maxScore) {
maxScore = currentSolutionTotalScore;
bestSolutionIndex = s;
}
} else {
solutionScores[s] = -1; // Mark as invalid/skipped
}
}
resultsHtml += "
";
if (bestSolutionIndex !== -1) {
resultsHtml += "
Recommended Solution: " + solutionNames[bestSolutionIndex] + " (with a score of " + maxScore.toFixed(0) + ")";
} else {
resultsHtml += "Please enter valid solution names, criterion names, weights (1-10), and scores (1-5) to get a recommendation.";
}
document.getElementById("calculationResult").innerHTML = resultsHtml;
}