Components Chart
quadrant
Native 2×2 scatter chart — items plotted on two continuous axes.
Use to position items by two numeric attributes (cost × value, effort × impact). Data-driven; for static categorical 2×2 grids, use matrix-2x2.
When to use
- Two numeric axes carry the analysis. Effort × impact, cost × value, probability × severity, reach × confidence. Both axes are continuous and the position on each genuinely matters — that's the argument quadrant is built to make.
- Categorical grouping clusters the dots. Items grouped under list headings (
Strategic Bets,Quick Wins,Defer,Time Sinks) share a colour, so the eye can read the cluster before the individual point. The grouping is editorial, not derived from coordinates. - Six to twelve items. Below six the chart wastes the canvas — write it as prose. Past twelve the labels overlap and the quadrant becomes a constellation. Trim the long tail or break it across two slides.
When not to use
- Static categorical 2×2. If the quadrants are fixed labels (Important × Urgent, Build × Buy × Partner × Defer) and items are placed by category not coordinate, use
matrix-2x2.quadrantis data-driven;matrix-2x2is conceptual. - Single axis matters. If one axis is decorative and only the other carries meaning, you have a ranking, not a scatter. Use
progressfor percent-complete orkpifor ranked metrics with status. - Coordinates without an audience-shared scale. If
8, 80requires a footnote to interpret, the slide doesn't pay off. Either label the axis units in the eyebrow (Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100) or normalise to a familiar scale before authoring.
Slots
| Slot | Selector | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
title | h2 | yes | Slide heading framing the analysis. |
axes | p > code | no | Optional axis-label eyebrow (inline-code paragraph). |
items | ul > li | yes | One li per item. Format: Label — x, y[, size]. |
Anatomy
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ header │
│ Quadrant chart heading │
│ │
│ high ▲ ◆ ◆ │
│ │ ◆ ● │
│ │ ● ◆ │
│ │ ● ● │
│ low └──────────────► │
│ low high │
│ footer 1/19 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘Variants
bubble — Bubble — third value sizes the dot
A third number in each pill (x, y, size) scales the dot by honest √-area. Use when a magnitude — revenue, headcount, spend — rides alongside the two positioning axes.
<!-- _class: quadrant bubble -->
`Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100`
## Where to put the next dollar — sized by revenue nobody has booked yet.
- Strategic Bets
- Scoring model v2 `3, 70, 2.4`
- Per-team calibration `5, 85, 4.1`
- Quick Wins
- Weekly signal brief `8, 80, 0.9`
- Snapshot exports `9, 55, 0.6`
- Defer
- Vendor scoping `2, 30, 0.4`
- Time Sinks
- Custom audit log UI `7, 18, 1.3` trail — Trail — before → after
Two coordinate pills per item (x, y then x2, y2) draw a trail from the old position to the new one. Use to show how initiatives moved across a period.
<!-- _class: quadrant trail -->
`Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100`
## How each bet moved after one quarter — mostly to the left, where the work is cheaper to describe.
- Strategic Bets
- Scoring model v2 `5, 60` `3, 78`
- Per-team calibration `7, 70` `5, 88`
- Quick Wins
- Snapshot exports `9, 45` `8, 62`
- Time Sinks
- Custom audit log UI `6, 25` `7, 16` cohort — Cohort — convex-hull tint per group
Tints a convex hull behind each top-level group so the clusters read as cohorts, not just loose dots. Use when group membership is part of the argument.
<!-- _class: quadrant cohort -->
`Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100`
## Where to put the next dollar — clustered by theme, themed by whoever owns the slide.
- Strategic Bets
- Scoring model v2 `3, 70`
- Per-team calibration `5, 85`
- Quick Wins
- Weekly signal brief `8, 80`
- Snapshot exports `9, 55`
- Defer
- Vendor scoping `2, 30`
- Manual recalibration `1, 22`
- Time Sinks
- Custom audit log UI `7, 18`
- Bespoke board export `9, 28` threshold — Threshold — target lines + zones
Replaces the centre midlines with target lines declared in the eyebrow (· targets tx, ty) and labels the resulting zones. Use for go/no-go reads against an explicit bar.
<!-- _class: quadrant threshold -->
`Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100 · targets 5, 50`
## Against the go/no-go thresholds nobody has agreed to enforce.
- Strategic Bets
- Scoring model v2 `3, 70`
- Per-team calibration `5, 85`
- Quick Wins
- Weekly signal brief `8, 80`
- Defer
- Vendor scoping `2, 30`
- Time Sinks
- Custom audit log UI `7, 18` magic — Magic — MQ tribute
A Gartner-style Magic Quadrant tribute: vendor labels and the iconic Leaders / Challengers / Visionaries / Niche Players quadrant names. Order the groups TL → TR → BL → BR.
<!-- _class: quadrant magic -->
`Completeness of vision 0–100 → Ability to execute 0–100`
## The decision-tooling Magic Quadrant, in which the tool we built is a Leader.
- Challengers
- Productboard `30, 82`
- Leaders
- Sprig + Log `85, 88`
- Chorus `72, 76`
- Niche Players
- Notion build-out `25, 28`
- Visionaries
- Spreadsheet `82, 34` minimal — Minimal — no fill, faint grid
Composable modifier: drops the quadrant fills for a faint grid and bare dots. Layers on the default or any quadrant variant when the tinting would compete with the dots.
<!-- _class: quadrant minimal -->
`Effort 0–10 → Reach 0–100`
## Where to put the next dollar — unadorned, like the budget that funds it.
- Strategic Bets
- Scoring model v2 `3, 70`
- Per-team calibration `5, 85`
- Quick Wins
- Weekly signal brief `8, 80`
- Snapshot exports `9, 55`
- Defer
- Vendor scoping `2, 30`
- Time Sinks
- Custom audit log UI `7, 18`