DocOps Quadrant Charts

1. Introduction

The DocOps Quadrant Chart Extension allows you to create visually appealing quadrant charts in your AsciiDoctor documents. Quadrant charts are powerful visualization tools for creating strategic priority matrices and impact vs. effort analysis charts. They help teams prioritize work by plotting items on a two-dimensional grid based on their relative importance.

This guide will help you understand the basic concepts of quadrant charts, how to include them in your AsciiDoctor documents, and provide examples of different configurations.

2. Basic Concepts

2.1. What are Quadrant Charts?

Quadrant charts in the DocOps extension are SVG-based graphical elements that can be included in your AsciiDoctor documents. Each quadrant chart has:

  • A title (the main heading of the chart)

  • A subtitle (optional)

  • X and Y axis labels (typically "Effort" and "Impact")

  • Four quadrants, each with its own label and description

  • A series of data points plotted on the grid

Quadrant charts are particularly useful for:

  • Strategic priority matrices

  • Impact vs. effort analysis

  • Risk assessment

  • Opportunity evaluation

  • Feature prioritization

2.2. Quadrant Chart Components

A quadrant chart includes:

  • A title and optional subtitle

  • X and Y axis labels

  • Four quadrants with labels and descriptions

  • Data points, each with a label, x-coordinate, y-coordinate, and optional category

3. AsciiDoctor Syntax for Quadrant Charts

To include quadrant charts in your AsciiDoctor document, you use a special macro syntax. Here’s the basic format:

[docops,quadrant,controls=true]
----
title: Strategic Priority Matrix
subtitle: Impact vs. Effort Analysis
xAxisLabel: EFFORT REQUIRED
yAxisLabel: IMPACT LEVEL
q1Label: HIGH IMPACT
q2Label: STRATEGIC
q3Label: FILL-INS
q4Label: THANKLESS
---
Feature A | 75 | 85 | Core
Feature B | 30 | 70 | Enhancement
Feature C | 60 | 40 | Nice-to-have
Feature D | 20 | 30 | Optional
----

The macro processes the configuration and data and generates an SVG representation of the quadrant chart that is embedded in your document.

3.1. Configuration Parameters

The following configuration parameters are available:

  • title (optional): The main heading of the chart (default: "Strategic Priority Matrix")

  • subtitle (optional): The subtitle of the chart (default: "Impact vs. Effort Analysis")

  • xAxisLabel (optional): The label for the X-axis (default: "EFFORT REQUIRED")

  • yAxisLabel (optional): The label for the Y-axis (default: "IMPACT LEVEL")

  • q1Label (optional): The label for quadrant 1 (top-right) (default: "HIGH IMPACT")

  • q2Label (optional): The label for quadrant 2 (top-left) (default: "STRATEGIC")

  • q3Label (optional): The label for quadrant 3 (bottom-left) (default: "FILL-INS")

  • q4Label (optional): The label for quadrant 4 (bottom-right) (default: "THANKLESS")

3.2. Data Format

After the configuration section and the separator line (---), each line represents a data point with the following format:

Label | X | Y [| Category]

  • Label (required): The name or description of the data point

  • X (required): The X-coordinate (effort) value from 0 to 100

  • Y (required): The Y-coordinate (impact) value from 0 to 100

  • Category (optional): A category for the data point, which can be used for grouping or coloring

4. Examples

4.1. Basic Quadrant Chart Example

Here’s a simple example of a quadrant chart:

[docops,quadrant,controls=true]
----
title: Strategic Priority Matrix
subtitle: Impact vs. Effort Analysis
xAxisLabel: EFFORT REQUIRED
yAxisLabel: IMPACT LEVEL
---
Feature A | 75 | 85 | Core
Feature B | 30 | 70 | Enhancement
Feature C | 60 | 40 | Nice-to-have
Feature D | 20 | 30 | Optional
----
DocOps.ioMIT Licensehttps://docops.io2025-06-21Generated by DocOps.io - Licensed under MIT LicenseEFFORT REQUIREDIMPACT LEVELFeature ACoreFeature BEnhancementFeature CNice-to-haveFeature DOptionalStrategic Priority MatrixHIGH IMPACT High EffortSTRATEGIC Low EffortFILL-INS Low ImpactTHANKLESS High Effort

4.2. Customized Quadrant Labels Example

You can customize the labels for each quadrant:

[docops,quadrant,controls=true]
----
title: Product Feature Prioritization
subtitle: Value vs. Complexity
xAxisLabel: COMPLEXITY
yAxisLabel: BUSINESS VALUE
q1Label: QUICK WINS
q2Label: BIG BETS
q3Label: MONEY PITS
q4Label: INCREMENTAL
---
Feature A | 25 | 85 | Core
Feature B | 70 | 80 | Enhancement
Feature C | 80 | 30 | Nice-to-have
Feature D | 30 | 20 | Optional
Feature E | 50 | 50 | Maintenance
----
DocOps.ioMIT Licensehttps://docops.io2025-06-21Generated by DocOps.io - Licensed under MIT LicenseCOMPLEXITYBUSINESS VALUEFeature ACoreFeature BEnhancementFeature CNice-to-haveFeature DOptionalFeature EMaintenanceProduct Feature PrioritizationQUICK WINSBIG BETSMONEY PITSINCREMENTAL

4.3. Project Risk Assessment Example

Quadrant charts can also be used for risk assessment:

[docops,quadrant,controls=true]
----
title: Project Risk Assessment
subtitle: Probability vs. Impact
xAxisLabel: PROBABILITY
yAxisLabel: IMPACT
q1Label: HIGH PRIORITY
q2Label: CRITICAL
q3Label: LOW PRIORITY
q4Label: MEDIUM PRIORITY
---
Security Breach | 30 | 95 | Security
Budget Overrun | 70 | 75 | Financial
Schedule Delay | 80 | 60 | Timeline
Scope Creep | 85 | 50 | Management
Resource Shortage | 60 | 70 | Staffing
Technical Failure | 40 | 85 | Technical
----
DocOps.ioMIT Licensehttps://docops.io2025-06-21Generated by DocOps.io - Licensed under MIT LicensePROBABILITYIMPACTSecurity BreachSecurityBudget OverrunFinancialSchedule DelayTimelineScope CreepManagementResource ShortageStaffingTechnical FailureTechnicalProject Risk AssessmentHIGH PRIORITYCRITICALLOW PRIORITYMEDIUM PRIORITY
DocOps.ioMIT Licensehttps://docops.io2025-06-21Generated by DocOps.io - Licensed under MIT LicensePROBABILITYIMPACTSecurity BreachBudget OverrunSchedule DelayScope CreepResource ShortageTechnical FailureTitleHIGH PRIORITYCRITICALLOW PRIORITYMEDIUM PRIORITY

5. Conclusion

The DocOps Quadrant Chart Extension provides a powerful way to enhance your AsciiDoctor documents with visually appealing quadrant charts. By using the simple key-value configuration format and pipe-separated data, you can create customized charts that match your document’s style and purpose.

Quadrant charts are versatile tools that can be used for various purposes, including strategic planning, feature prioritization, risk assessment, and more. The extension makes it easy to create these charts without requiring any external tools or complex setup.