3 Voting Methods for Agile Teams: Facilitating Decision-Making Things are always changing in and around an agile Team, so lots of decisions have to be made. Because agile leaders believe in collaboration and self-organization, they don�t usually make the...
3 Voting Methods for Agile Teams: Facilitating Decision-Making
Things are always changing in and around an agile Team, so lots of decisions have to be made. Because agile leaders believe in collaboration and self-organization, they don�t usually make the decisions by themselves. Therefore, they need quick ways to have team members vote in some way � to get shared ownership of the decisions. Here are three different voting techniques that should be in every agile leader�s toolkit. For each of these methods, assume you have already asked for a decision to be made, such �who wants to go to lunch?� or �should we try this architectural approach?� or something�
Show of Hands
Show of Hands: You say, �Let�s have a show of hands. All in favor, raise your hands.� Then you count them and announce the number. Then you say: �All opposed,�raise your hands.� Then you count them, announce the number, and announce the winner with the total, as �Ok, it wins 5 to 2.� Then you move on�
Notes: This is the simplest thing to do, and gives the least information. You can�t force everyone to vote, so it�s not clear who is ambivalent. If you need to know who �doesn�t care� about the decision, use the next method�
Thumb Voting
Thumb Voting: This method has everyone vote at once, rather than having two rounds. First you say: �Let�s do thumb voting. Thumb up (demonstrate) means �YES�, thumb down (demonstrate) means �NO�, and thumb sideways (demonstrate) means �I DON�T CARE�� ready VOTE.� Then you count them and announce the result: �We have 5 �YES�, 1 �NO�, and 1 �I DON�T CARE�.� Then you move on�
Notes: This gives more information, and is very easy to do� I especially like the version where the �don�t care� thumb wiggles up and down.
Fist-of-Five
Fist-of-Five: This has everyone vote at once, and gives even more information. First you say: �Let�s do Fist-of-Five. Showing all five fingers (demonstrate) means �I LOVE IT�, showing a fist (demonstrate) means �I HATE IT�, and, in between, the more fingers you put up, the more you like it. Ready, VOTE.� Then you count the �I LOVE IT�s the �I HATE IT�s, and get a feeling for the rest, like �We have 2 �I LOVE IT�s, 1 �I HATE IT�, and the other three lean towards �LIKE�.� Then you move on�
Notes: This gives a lot of information, and can be used (and interpreted) in many different ways. For example, Esther Derby told me she uses the question: �Fist-of-Five � How are you all feeling?� as a to get a quick temperature of the room. Additionally, you can use the Fist-of-Five to deduce agreement on the other scales, as follows:
I have found that by voicing these deductions out loud, you can start a conversation that will elicit a lot of good information about the decisions being made. Your Mileage May Vary�
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