Quadrant chart

A quadrant chart plots items against two dimensions, and its value is entirely in the axes you choose. Effort against impact is the classic pair, and the diagram is really a way of forcing that conversation.

Because it is text, people can move a dot during the meeting rather than after it.

#When to reach for one

Prioritisation workshops where everything is currently urgent.
Risk assessment: likelihood against impact.
Competitive or capability positioning.

#How to draw it in Capable

Route	Use when
Mermaid	A dedicated quadrant syntax; fastest to build and change.
Excalidraw	Workshops, where dragging dots around is the exercise.

#A worked example

Effort against impact, with the quadrants named:

The source, which you can paste into a new diagram and edit:

quadrantChart
  title Roadmap prioritisation
  x-axis Low effort --> High effort
  y-axis Low impact --> High impact
  quadrant-1 Major projects
  quadrant-2 Quick wins
  quadrant-3 Not now
  quadrant-4 Thankless work
  Single sign-on: [0.75, 0.85]
  Dark mode: [0.35, 0.55]
  Bulk export: [0.25, 0.72]
  Audit log: [0.55, 0.65]
  Custom themes: [0.65, 0.25]
  Legacy import: [0.85, 0.30]

#A few things that catch people out

Name the quadrants. Unnamed quadrants leave everyone reading their own meaning into the corners.
Positions are opinions. Record who placed them, and revisit after the work is done.
Two axes only. A third dimension needs a different chart.

Charts and graphs

Charts rendered from a text spec, on the page.

Sankey diagram

Flows that split, merge and lose volume on the way.

Examples

Working diagrams you can copy.

Keep the numbers where people can check them.