# Revision Priority Matrix

Rank requested changes by factual harm, reader value, compliance exposure, dependency, confidence, effort, deadline, and consequence if unresolved.

## Usage note

Use this matrix after feedback has been clarified and duplicates combined. Mandatory factual, legal, safety, privacy, accessibility, or approval issues are gates, not optional points to average against effort. Scores support transparent sequencing; the accountable editor still records the decision and rationale.

## How to use this template

1. Normalize feedback into specific issues with locations, evidence, consequence, and desired outcome.
2. Mark mandatory gates and remove duplicates, contradictions, and requests outside the approved scope.
3. Assess reader value, factual or compliance risk, evidence, dependency, effort, deadline, and change risk.
4. Sequence accepted work, assign owners and acceptance checks, and record deferred or declined decisions.
5. Reassess after major revisions and reserve final validation for every affected quality control.

## Blank template

### Revision item

- **Item ID:** [Durable identifier]
- **Location:** [Section, paragraph, screen, or asset]
- **Problem:** [Observable issue]
- **Source:** [Fact check, policy, review, research, stakeholder, or another]
- **Desired outcome:** [What should improve?]
- **Reader consequence:** [If unchanged]
- **Change risk:** [What could be damaged?]
- **Decision owner:** [Role]

### Gate and priority

- **Mandatory gate:** [Yes / No, with authority]
- **Factual or compliance risk:** [Critical / High / Moderate / Low]
- **Reader value:** [High / Medium / Low, with evidence]
- **Evidence confidence:** [High / Medium / Low]
- **Dependency:** [What must happen before or after?]
- **Reach:** [Affected audience or surfaces]
- **Effort:** [Small / Medium / Large, with estimate]
- **Deadline:** [Date and reason]
- **Reversibility:** [Easy / Costly / Difficult]

### Decision

- **Disposition:** [Do now / Test / Defer / Decline / Escalate]
- **Rationale:** [Why this priority]
- **Sequence:** [Order]
- **Owner:** [Person or role]
- **Due date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
- **Acceptance evidence:** [How completion is verified]
- [ ] Required re-review is included.
- [ ] Deferral has a trigger, not an indefinite backlog label.
- [ ] Declined feedback receives an accountable explanation.

### Revision plan

- **Batch or milestone:** [Group]
- **Shared root cause:** [If several items]
- **Reviewers affected:** [Who must return?]
- **Final checks:** [Facts, links, accessibility, proof, or another]
- **Status:** [Planned / In progress / Complete / Blocked]
- **New evidence:** [Change to priority]