What is Nominal Group Technique?
The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured process used in project management and group decision making to get balanced input, generate lots of ideas and prioritise solutions effectively. Unlike free flowing brainstorming sessions where the loudest voice dominates, NGT ensures every participant has an equal opportunity to contribute.
The process starts with silent idea generation where each participant writes down their thoughts independently. This avoids groupthink and encourages individual creative input. Next is a round-robin session where each member shares one idea at a time while a facilitator records all the ideas for everyone to see. Once all ideas are listed the group moves into a discussion phase where participants clarify and expand on the ideas without judgment or debate.
Finally the team ranks or votes on the most valuable or feasible options. This can be done through scoring, ranking or dot voting depending on the context. The outcome is a clear, democratic list of priorities that reflects the team’s collective view.
NGT is great for projects with multiple stakeholders, cross functional teams or situations where you need to resolve conflict, build consensus or make unbiased decisions. It not only improves idea quality but also gets everyone engaged as everyone has a voice.