When a company is faced with a large, capital budgeting decision, they have multiple ways to evaluate the potential options.

By first vetting possible projects based on your company guidelines and standards, then using one or more of several methods to analyze the decisions, it is hoped that a company can make the most profitable decision in the long term.

The payback method, net present value method, internal rate of return method and the simple rate of return method are all potential ways to work through these decisions. Learning the steps involved in each of these methods can help you, as a manager, to make good decisions, or to offer other managers insight into capital project decision making.