Multivoting
Multivoting, often referred to as dot voting, is a prioritization and decision-making technique designed to engage stakeholders actively in the ranking of items, most commonly requirements. The primary advantage of multivoting is its ability to rapidly condense a large list of options into a prioritized list based on collective opinion.
In the application of this technique for business analysis, stakeholders are given a predetermined number of "votes," usually represented by colored dots. Stakeholders place these dots next to the requirements that they consider most crucial or beneficial. Once all votes are cast, the dots are counted, and the requirements are ranked based on the number of votes they've received.
The process is straightforward but effective in democratizing the prioritization process. By aggregating the collective intelligence and preferences of stakeholders, multivoting makes the decision-making process more transparent and participative, thereby increasing buy-in from the involved parties. This is particularly useful in environments where stakeholder consensus is important for the project’s success.
In terms of similarities to other methods, multivoting is comparable to "buy a feature," where stakeholders allocate their limited resources (votes) to purchase features they consider most valuable. However, while "buy a feature" often involves more complex considerations like budgeting and cost-value trade-offs, multivoting typically focuses solely on preference or priority.
The technique aligns with the broader BA work of requirements prioritization and stakeholder engagement, serving as an effective tool to achieve a consensus or to make more informed decisions on what requirements are of the highest priority. It is particularly useful during the stages of the project where rapid decisions are needed, and it becomes crucial to understand stakeholder priorities in a quick, yet effective, manner.