How to Use a Utility Value Analysis

A utility value analysis (Nutzwertanalyse) is a structured decision-making method that helps you compare multiple alternatives against a set of criteria you define. It is especially useful when a decision cannot be made on cost alone and qualitative factors matter.

1. Define alternatives — list the options you are choosing between.
2. Define criteria — identify what matters for the decision (e.g. cost, quality, time-to-market).
3. Assign weights — distribute 100% across criteria to reflect their relative importance. You can also enable Relative Weights in settings to enter priorities that auto-normalize.
4. Score each alternative — rate how well each alternative satisfies each criterion on a scale of 1–5 (1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Satisfactory, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent).
5. Read the result — the utility value (UV = Score × Weight) is computed per cell; the totals reveal which alternative best meets your requirements.