TRN | Action 4: Prioritize Solutions

In this action, users will prioritize solutions based on risk reduction, prioritization criteria, and costs. Considering these different factors allows for a more holistic prioritization process.

Data Inputs Needed

Screened solutions from Action 1 in the Solution Prioritization module
Solution risk reduction potential from Action 2 in the Solution Prioritization module
Prioritization criteria and their relative weights from Action 3 in the Solution Prioritization module
High-level cost information from Action 3 in the Solution Prioritization module

Outputs of This Action

Prioritized list of resilience solutions

Worksheet

Resources

no action specific resources

Full Description

In this action, the resilience planning team will prioritize resilience solutions. In the first step, they will assess how well each solution meets the prioritization criteria. When combined with the risk reduction potential, this yields a “resilience solution benefit potential” for each solution. This resilience solution benefit potential, along with the solution cost categories, forms the basis for prioritization in the TRN. The resilience planning team will then have the option to create a sorted list of solutions.

The results of these analyses are useful when comparing resilience alternatives because they allow consideration of tradeoffs between cost and resilience solution benefit potential and help to determine which resilience solutions to pursue first. This evaluation may be considered sufficient to make decisions about whether to move forward with solution implementation. In other cases, it may represent a screening mechanism that will need to be followed up by a fully quantitative analysis. Time, budget, and desire for greater accuracy may influence the decision.

Step 1: Evaluate How Well Solutions Meet Prioritization Criteria

First, the resilience planning team should use their professional judgement and expertise to assess how well each solution meets the site’s prioritization criteria (determined in Action 3). Solutions are judged to meet each prioritization criterion, aside from risk-reduction potential, on a qualitative scale of “not well” to “very well” (see below). These decisions can be documented in the Solution Prioritization Action 4 Worksheet: Prioritize Solutions.

How Well Solution Meets Solution Prioritization Criteria	Response
Solution does not address this criterion	Not well
Solution addresses some part of criterion, but only partially	Moderately well
Solution addresses criterion	Well
Solution could not address criterion any better	Very well

For those working offline, the characterization of how each solution meets each criterion will be input into the Solution Prioritization Excel workbook in Tab 5.

Step 2: Determine How the Site Will Sort Solutions

To compare solutions to each other, next the resilience planning team should identify what combination of cost and resilience solution benefit potential is most important to them in decision making. For example, does a site prioritize very high resilience solution benefit potential over cost? Or are low cost or minimal cost solutions that have moderate resilience solution benefit potential significantly more appealing than moderate cost solutions with high resilience solution benefit potential? Rank each combination of solution cost category and solution resilience potential in the Solution Prioritization Action 4 Worksheet: Prioritize Solutions. This matrix is the final input that will result in a sorted list of resilience solutions for further consideration by site leadership (for those working offline, this matrix can be found in Tab 6 of the Solution Prioritization Excel workbook).