What Is It?
Nominal Group Technique is a structured form of brainstorming that results in the generation and prioritization of ideas. It is particularly useful when a large group is involved in the brainstorming process and when there is a need to take a brainstormed list and synthesize it into several prioritized items.
The process can take a long time. The challenge for the facilitator is to move quickly to ensure attention is maintained and the value created is worth the time invested.
This tool is most useful when people might be concerned about offending one another since it provides an evaluation of ideas and an anonymous fashion.
When to Use It
- Elicit and organize ideas from a large group of people where some individuals tend to dominate discussions. Most useful when the group is quite large (up to 25 to 30 people) and they do not know each other well.
- Use it when you would like to take the brainstormed list and develop it further into a prioritized list or a reduced set of items that can readily be translated into task or action items.
- Identify and then prioritize issues for improvement
- Identify internal and external customers and suppliers and their needs in a grouped or prioritized fashion
- Identify possible causes of a problem
- Generate possible solutions to a problem
- Identify potential obstacles to an implementation plan
How to Use It
1. Clearly define the topic to be brainstormed. It is important to be precise in the way you frame the question to the group. The more precise the question, the better the result.
2. Answer any questions about the nature of the query the group is working on.
3. Hand out several 3 x 5 index cards to each individual (up to ten per person.)
4. Have each participant write one idea per card, without discussion.
5. Transfer each idea to a flipchart, eithervanonymously or in an open format.
If you do this in an open format ask people for one idea each in a Round Robin manner. This process will ensure that people do not see all of their ideas given by those ahead of them as well as keep the whole group more alert and involved. Once a person has presented all of their ideas, they can then "pass" (opt out) in subsequent rounds.
6. Next, give each idea a letter.
7. Now, clarify ideas. Add new items if they come up, but don't condense them.
8. Rank order the ideas using the Nominal technique:
- Once you have generated a complete list of ideas, assign a letter to each one.
- Then have participants write down the letters of half the ideas plus one on a 3 x 5 index card in descending order of what they believe are best. For example, if there are 12 ideas, each person identifies the 7 best.
- The highest score for the best idea should be given a 7, ranking each idea in turn with 1 being the lowest. Any item not included on the participant's list receives a score of 0.
- If the list of ideas is still too large, repeat this technique as many times as necessary until you arrive at a manageable list.
If you do this step silently you will provide anonymity for people to give you their honest opinions. This is particularly important when people of different levels or with reporting relationships are working together.
9. Collect the cards. Silently record the rankings and accumulate the points for each item. Clearly, the highest scores represent the highest priorities. See Tally of Initial Round of Ranking table.
10. In the event that several ideas score the same number of points, or the list is still too large, it is possible to rank order the results by repeating steps 7 and 8. This provides a second round of refinement. See Sample Tally of Second Round of Ranking.
Based on the number of items you start with and the number of items you wish to have at the end of the process, you can conduct as many rounds you wish. For example, if you have 50 items to start, you will have approximately half left over at the end of the first round if you simply drop the bottom half. You can conduct an additional round to bring the prioritized list down to twelve.
Sometimes items shift in subsequent rounds. This is normal and not a cause for concern. The most recent prioritization prevails.
If you have many items and are concerned that the list is too long for ranking, you can conduct two rounds with half of the items in each round. Then merge them by selecting the top half of in each group in integrating these together. Then use this new integrated list for third round.
Another technique for working with a very large list is to ask people to select their half plus one in the first round but not rank the items. The number of people selecting items for the top half will be an acceptable first cut for this round, which will reduce the total items by approximately 50%. This may make ranking more feasible starting with the second round.
A Working Example: Nominal Group Technique
1. The Topic: What are the primary issues that need to be addressed regarding the increasing complaints about reproduction of data?
2. The Results: Each participant records their ideas on index cards. These ideas are compiled and each is given a letter:
A. Page is out of order
B. Specifications on the copying not correct
C. Print was too light
D. Documents not returned on time
E. Documents improperly collated
F. No holes punched when requested
G. Incapable of the instant completion
H. Documents not stapled as requested
I. Wrong color of paper
J. Lines on printed documents
K. Documents delivered to the wrong place
L. Pages were missing from document
3. Each idea is ranked using the Nominal Technique.
4. Record the initial round of ranking
5. If the list is still too long, do another round of ranking.
6. Continue with subsequent rounds of ranking until the list is manageable and represents the highest priority issues.
7. Create a strategy for exploring or addressing the identified issues.
More Help
If you have questions about using the Nominal Group Technique or other Brainstorming methods, please contact Beth Chartier at 781-343-4008 or at bchartier@wsa-intl.com. She will set up time for you talk to one our consultants, free of charge, who will help you with your specific questions and concerns.
Related Topics
5 Steps to Effective Brainstorming
Top 5 Brainstorming Techniques
Brainstorming from Start to Finish: A Practical Example