Nominal Group Technique

Nominal Group Technique is a structured group brainstorming process involving problem identification, solution generation, and decision making. It is particularly useful around defining consensus among members of a team/group regarding priority or importance of items on a brainstormed list.
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    REFERENCES

     

    Bassard, M., Ritter, D.(2010). The Memory Jogger 2. Tools for Continuous Improvement and Effective Planning.Second Edition.Salem, NH: GOAL/QPC

    “Gaining Consensus Among Stakeholders Through the Nominal Group Technique” (November 2008, No. 7).  Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention    https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief7.pdf.  Retrieved 21 June 2017

    Lighter, D.E. (2011).  Advanced Performance Improvement in Health Care Principles and Methods.   Sudbury, MA., Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

    Nominal Group Technique. EESemi. http://eesemi.com/ngt.htm.  Retrieved 22 June 2017

    Nominal Group Technique (NGT).  ASQ Learn About Quality http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/idea-creation-tools/overview/nominal-group.html.  Retreived 21 June 2017

    Sollecito, W. A., Johnson, J. K. (2013). Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care Fourth Edition.Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

    Spath, P. L. (2013). Introduction to Healthcare Quality Management, Second Edition.Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

    REFERENCES

    Introduction

    Nominal Group Technique is a structured group brainstorming process involving problem identification, solution generation, and decision making. It is particularly useful around defining consensus among members of a team/group regarding priority or importance of items on a brainstormed list.

    It is used to build commitment to the team’s choice through equal participation from members.

    Other uses include:

    • To allow every team member to rank issues without being pressured by others.
    • To give all members an equal voice.
    • To easily see the teams' consensus (or lack of it).
    • To ease into a controversial subject.

    Materials You'll Need:

    • Sticky notes or index cards & tape
    • Markers, for writing
    • Large surface area (work table, flip chart, white board, blank wall)
    • Team members from all areas of the organization involved in the process

    How To Use Nominal Group Technique

    Introduction and Explanation

    The Facilitator presents the problem in written form and reads it to the group. The group is given a chance to ask questions to clarify the statement so that all are in agreement.

    Silent Generation of Ideas

    Team members write as many ideas on separate sticky notes or cards individually. Often this section is timed (5 to 10 minutes).

    Sharing Ideas

    Through a "round robin" style, each member reads aloud one of his/her statements.
    • The facilitator records it for everyone to see.
    • There is no debate or discussion at this point.
    • Each idea is presented once. There is no need to repeat an idea.
    • This session continues until all members have stated their ideas and the team is comfortable with moving on. It may be necessary to agree on a length of time for this section.

    Group Discussion

    The facilitator asks for discussion on each recorded idea. Team members are to ask for explanation or clarification of any ideas listed.
    • The group may suggest new items for discussion or combine items into categories.
    • No ideas should be eliminated unless unanimously agreed upon by the group.

    Record

    Record the final list of statements for all to see. Each item is assigned a letter (A, B, C, D, etc.).

    Silent Ranking and Voting

    Team members rank the ideas based on their point of view.
    • Each team member selects the top five ideas they think are most effective and writes them on separate index cards.
    • They then rank each idea from five to one with five being the most important, four being the next most important and so on.

    Vote Collection and Tallying

    The facilitator collects the cards and tallies the votes.

    Removal of Topics

    Items that receive one or no votes are removed from the list.

    Prioritizing Items Based on Total Point Values

    Items with the highest total point values are the most important to the group and should be addressed first.

    One Half Plus Rule

    When there are a large number of choices, limit the number of items ranked using the "one half plus one" approach.

    Example:

    Why does the department have inconsistent output?
    Table matching letters A–H to problems: A = Lack of Training, B = No documented process, C = Unclear quality standards, D = Lack of cooperation, E = High turnover, F = Not enough workers, G = Lack of supplies, H = Little to no supervision.
    Problem Definitions for Nominal Group Technique Ratings A reference table listing the full descriptions for each lettered problem category used in the NGT ranking process.
    Larry’s vote tally: A = 4, C = 5, D = 2, F = 3, H = 1. These reflect his prioritization of five identified problems during the group session.
    Larry’s Individual Voting in the NGT Process One participant’s scoring of the top five concerns during a Nominal Group Technique session.
    Table showing voter rankings of eight issues. Problem C received 25 points and ranked 1st, A received 21 points (2nd), and B received 18 points (3rd). Other problems had fewer votes or were not scored by all voters.
    Final Scores and Rankings from a Nominal Group Technique Session A consolidated scoring table showing how participants rated identified problems, including total points and final group rankings.

    If twenty ideas were generated, then team members would rank only the top eleven choices (half of 20 = 10 +1 = 11). This process would be repeated with the remaining nine items, ranking the top five or six items (half of nine = 4.5 +1 = 5.5) until a manageable number is identified.

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