Suitable for
- ✓teams with democratic management,
- ✓quick decision making about design challenge or its solution,
- ✓immediate feedback.
A democratic and engaging method for team decision-making using stickers to vote on various options.
Dot Voting is a prioritization technique where participants use dots or stickers to vote on options, ideas, or features. By giving everyone an equal number of votes, it fosters democratic decision-making and allows the team to gauge collective preferences. Dot Voting is commonly used in brainstorming sessions, agile development, and workshops to prioritize tasks, align on decisions, and create a shared understanding. It's a simple and effective way to visualize consensus and make collaborative choices.
A pre-designed sheet containing ideas, features or concepts on which participants will vote, organized in a clear and concise manner.
Stickers or markers that participants use to cast their votes on preferred ideas, features, or concepts listed on the worksheet.
A document that outlines the dot voting process, rules, and instructions for participants to follow during the activity.
A timed agenda that helps keep participants on track throughout the voting process and ensures an efficient and productive session.
A summary report or presentation that highlights the voting outcomes, showing the distribution of votes and identifying the most popular choices or priorities.
A document that captures key insights, patterns, and observations noted throughout the dot voting process, which can inform further decision-making and action.
A list of follow-up tasks, responsibilities, or next steps stemming from the dot voting activity, assigned to appropriate team members or departments for implementation.
Identify the Problem or Goal
Define the key objective or problem that needs to be addressed through the dot voting process. This clarity will help in generating relevant ideas and solutions.
Gather the Team
Bring together the team members who will be participating in the dot voting exercise. These should be individuals with diverse perspectives and expertise related to the problem or goal.
Generate Ideas
Ask the participants to brainstorm ideas or solutions that address the problem or goal. Encourage both radical and incremental ideas, as well as a collaborative brainstorming approach.
Organize Ideas
Collect and display the generated ideas in a visible space, such as a whiteboard or wall. Ensure that each idea is clearly written and visible to all participants.
Categorize Ideas (optional)
If there are too many ideas for dot voting, group similar ideas into categories to help participants better understand the different options available.
Explain Dot Voting Rules
Introduce the dot voting process and guidelines to the participants. Each participant will receive a set number of dots or stickers, which they will use to vote for their preferred ideas. Each participant may choose to use all their dots on a single idea or distribute them among multiple ideas.
Conduct Dot Voting
Allow participants to place their dots or stickers next to the ideas they support. Participants should silently review and vote on ideas without discussing or influencing one another's decisions.
Analyze Results
Tally the number of dots for each idea or category. Identify the top-voted ideas or categories, and discuss the results to gain further insights or to clarify details from the voting process.
Action Planning
Based on the prioritized results, develop an action plan to explore or implement the top ideas or solutions. Define subsequent steps, allocate resources, and delegate responsibilities to ensure these ideas are effectively pursued.
Follow-up and Review
Regularly track the progress of the action plan and review the results. Use this feedback to iterate and refine the solutions, creating a continuous cycle of improvement and innovation.
15 min or more
flipchart (large paper), adhesive circles
entire project team
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