Developed by André L. Delbecq and Andrew H. Van de Ven (A Group Process Model for Problem Identification and Program Planning, 1971), with David H. Gustafson (Group Techniques for Program Planning, 1975).
Runs a meeting through silent idea writing, round-robin sharing, clarifying discussion, and private ranking, producing a prioritized list that every member had an equal hand in.
When to reach for it
When five to nine people must generate and rank options in one session, and dominant voices or early anchors would skew the result.
How it runs
- Frame the question.
- Have everyone write ideas silently for five to ten minutes.
- Go around the table, one idea each, until all are recorded.
- Discuss to clarify only, never to judge.
- Have each person rank the top ideas privately.
- Combine the rankings.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- A Group Process Model for Problem Identification and Program Planning, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 7(4), 1971
- Group Techniques for Program Planning: A Guide to Nominal Group and Delphi Processes, Scott, Foresman, 1975