Fast Prioritization
Fast Prioritization
When a group needs to rapidly prioritize or eliminate some items from a list
Three steps: Create a list, vote and count the votes. The voting has the particular characteristic that each person is given several votes to distribute. The way of registering and counting the votes eliminates undue influence.
What is Fast Prioritization about ?
What is
Fast Prioritization
about ?
What is this Method about ?
Create a list of options. Each participant gets the same number of dots (votes), often six, to indicate their preferred option(s). The options with the most votes ‘win’.
When and why is this Method used ?
Whenever a list of options needs to be shortened, by consensus.
Where does this Method come from
?
Original Source Details
From the Learning for Change L4C methodology
Additional Questions about the Method
What do we do if there are no clear ‘winners’?
Try running it again, but give each participant fewer points.
Audience
Audience
Is participant experience relevant for Fast Prioritization ?
It's okay if participants haven't seen the inside of a classroom in years
[content_physical_trust]
[content_mental_trust]
Audience description for Fast Prioritization
Any group that is faced with an unreasonable number of options and needs to prioritize.
Requirements
Requirements
Experience level of the facilitator
Self explanatory, no experience needed
Number of Facilitators :
0-1
How Stationary
Stationary and moving are both necessary for different parts
How to prioritize among numerous options?
Run Through
Prep Work (excluding materials)
Prepare a list with possible options to vote upon.
Pre Exercise
Steps
Create a list
The full list of items to be prioritized is numbered or lettered, and displayed on one or more flip-charts.
Instructions about voting
1. Each person is given a certain number of votes. If the list is no longer than 6 items, participants should get as many votes as there are items; otherwise a good number is 6 votes per participant.
2. The votes can be distributed at the will of each participant, for example all votes can go to one option (if they find it absolutely more important than any of the others). Alternatively the participant could decide to distribute the votes. For example: ✴ The favourite item on the list gets 3 votes ✴ The next-preferred gets 2 votes ✴ The third choice gets 1 vote
Register and count the votes
It’s possible for each person simply to mark their choices on the flipchart or board. However, to avoid any undue influencing the following procedure can be followed:
-
Each person considers his or her options, and writes on a piece of paper the numbers or letters of the selected options, and the number of votes allocated to each.
-
Each person exchanges her or his voting paper with another person – this is optional, but helps avoid undue influence from seeing the accumulating votes of others.
-
Each person in turn allocates the votes on the voting paper they have received, by marking with a coloured pen on the flipchart or attaching the appropriate number of coloured stickers.
At the end of this step, the choice can usually be significantly narrowed, and often even concluded.
Harvest
Highlight the options with the most dots to make visible the group’s preferences.
Online
Online
Material for
MaterialMaterial : Drawing Paper, Flip Chart / White Board, Marker Pens, Sticky Notes / Post Its
Additional Material Description
Provided everyone has pens and paper/sticky notes, preparation time is 0 minutes.
Additional Resources Description
Impact
Impact
Hidden Curriculum This promotes ‘participatory democracy’: it is an inclusive tool that gives equal weight to each person’s opinion, without emphasizing who has voted for what.
Group EmpowermentThe Fast Prioritization tool is highly empowering for a group, since it promotes not only participation but also transparency: there is no doubt about how decisions are reached.
project
project
IN WHICH THIS method WAS DEVELOPED
author(s)
author(s)
OF THIS method
