Stop DOT voting really important decisions!
I used to be told in the early part of my career, that dot voting was the way to make decisions in workshops - this was the time when everyone was talking about design sprints.
I was told DOT voting was good because:
1)It democratized the process 2)It was fast 3)It prioritized what the group believed
It seemed like a great way to get the group to make a decision - but we have to remember that not all decisions are created equal.
While doing an anonymous (hard to do in person, easier digitally) dot vote could be helpful to know where people are in their thought process - it should not be used as the only way to move forward - if the decision requires more reflection.
We don't always have to move fast when we are making important decisions, instead, we should take time to be reflective and add friction and add a more thoughtful layer to that decision making process
Why, because you may not have the right variables to make that decision.
A dot vote is not going to help you to reflect if the decision will cause unintended consequences for our employees or customers, or if we can even make the outcome of the decision happen, or if it is equitable?
So instead handing out DOT votes, why not try this instead:
1. Create a table with different variables and a Likert type scale to score them on 2. Each variable should be scored by each team member 3.
Have an open discussion about the scoring - this will allow for more reflective thinking
If we were working on a project we might have these variables:
1. Impact of Change 2. Ease of Change 3.
Ease of Measurement
With the scale being:
0= Unacceptable and 7= Very Promising
Tip: Don't just decide by which one scores highest, as one variable could have a higher weight than another.
Is Dot voting still something you use in workshops - or what are you using these days - would love to learn from you.