Which statement about weighting objectives in a decision matrix is true?

• A. Weights apply equally to all objectives
• B. Weights reflect the relative importance of each objective
• C. Weights are arbitrary and have no impact
• D. Weights are optional and always equal to one

Answer: (B)

In a decision matrix, weights express how important each objective is relative to the others. They determine how much influence a given objective has on the final ranking of options. When you compute an overall score for an option, you multiply its performance on each objective by that objective’s weight and sum the results. If one objective matters more, giving it a higher weight makes it pull the total score more strongly in its favor. Weights aren’t chosen at random; they should reflect real priorities and can be derived through structured methods. They aren’t required to be equal to one or to be optional; they can be normalized (for example, to sum to one) and adjusted to express differing levels of importance. If all weights were the same, every objective would have equal influence, which is why assigning different weights is essential.