NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

This tool helps assure that everyone one on your team has an equal voice in selecting a problem, providing input into resolving a problem, or in providing input around an issue faced by the group. Team members work in the presence of each other but only interact verbally at specified times.

•	Each team member, working independently, writes down the problem or issue that he or she feels is the most important for the group to address.
•	The group reconvenes and all member ideas are recorded.
•	Every posted note is discussed in order to clarify and elaborate upon the ideas.
•	Each member independently ranks all ideas.
•	Without discussion, rankings from all team members are recorded. Numbers are summed. The item with the largest number is the most important. The team begins work on this item first, moving on to the others as needed.

The outcome of the process varies depending on the original intentions for using this process. This process will eventually elicit Information that represents the team's listing of potential causes of the problem and identification of the most likely root causes, which become the basis for the next step of the problem-solving process. The group should, however, remain flexible and open to discussion on options not chosen through this process. The real risk if not open minded can be 'groupthink' and rule by committee. When properly used, this technique helps shortlist the many ideas that can be generated by a team.