Dot Voting
What is dot voting?
Dot voting definition
Dot voting (sometimes called “sticker voting”) is a prioritization technique that tasks a group to identify which ideas they should pursue. It usually follows an ideation session where the team has many potential options to pursue. For example, when starting a new project, you may use dot voting to decide which features will add the most value to the final product.
How does dot voting work?
Dot voting is as simple as it is effective, allowing anyone to participate. It starts with several ideas generated during an ideation session or a backlog of items that require prioritization. These items or ideas are written down on cards.
Participants get a set number of stickers representing their voting intentions. So, if they like an idea, they will leave a sticker on the corresponding card. The sticker voting process can be split by person, where a person will place all their dots in one go, or it can be performed on a dot-by-dot basis.
It’s usually a good idea to do one sticker at a time, with the voter briefly explaining why they have made that decision. In this situation, you would start with their most important choice and work down. This will add weight to the dot voting session, allowing the team to quickly identify critical tasks or ideas.
Sticker voting should result in a clear consensus. However, if that doesn’t happen, it’s a good idea to re-vote after removing some of the options that received fewer votes.
When to use dot voting in product management
The dot technique has plenty of applications within product management and can be used at most points in the development cycle, including:
Product prioritization - Dot voting makes prioritization easy by employing a collaborative approach. Rather than managing individual opinions and placing the decision in the hands of the Product Manager, sticker voting helps identify the most valuable items by seeking group consensus.
Agile estimation - Using sticker voting to prioritize items can help make agile estimation easier and more accurate by eliminating anything that isn’t required for the final product.
Sprint retrospectives - The dot technique can be used during the retrospective to identify and prioritize the most significant issues that occurred during the sprint. This will help keep conversations focused on important learning opportunities.
Pros and cons of dot voting
Dot voting is a great approach but can have pitfalls. Let’s look at some dot voting pros and cons.
Dot voting advantages
Simple to perform
Prevents HiPPO effect
Quick yet effective process
Promotes collaboration between team members
Dot voting disadvantages
Teams may not always come to a consensus, leading to split votes. You can fix this by removing lower-scoring items and voting again.
Doesn’t work if participants don’t have an equal voice. Try to ensure that the loudest opinions don’t influence the results.
Subconscious groupthink can play a large part in the results.
Not suitable for complex items.
Dot voting best practices
Here are a few key tips for dot voting:
Keep it simple by reducing the number of options.
Avoid including similar options that could split the vote. You can always group similar items if required.
Consider a two-color dot technique, with one color representing positive opinions and one for negative ones.
Assign someone to moderate the process to ensure honesty and avoid confrontation between people voting differently.
General FAQ
Glossary categories
Prioritize with confidence
Experience the new way of doing product management
