One of the hardest things about leading cross-functional or remote project teams is achieving true consensus without falling into groupthink or letting the loudest voice dominate. That’s where structured facilitation techniques come in — and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is one of the best in the toolkit.
NGT is a simple, scalable, and effective method for group brainstorming and prioritization. It empowers quieter voices, reduces bias, and helps teams make better decisions faster. Whether you’re selecting features for a product release, prioritizing project risks, or aligning on improvement initiatives, NGT helps create clarity from chaos.
What Is the Nominal Group Technique?
The Nominal Group Technique is a structured method for group brainstorming that encourages contributions from everyone and results in a prioritized list of ideas or solutions. Developed in the 1960s by Andre Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven, it’s commonly used in project management, strategic planning, and change management settings.
The word “nominal” means “in name only” — reflecting that, during the early stages, group members work individually even though they are part of a group.
When to Use It
NGT is ideal when you:
- Need to gather ideas from a diverse or distributed team
- Want to avoid groupthink or dominant personalities
- Need a fair, transparent prioritization method
- Are dealing with complex or sensitive issues
- Want to quickly generate consensus on a short list of actions
I’ve used NGT in hybrid retrospectives, cross-border risk assessments, and even with executive teams when prioritizing portfolio investments.
The 5 Steps of NGT
- Silent Idea Generation
- Participants write down their ideas silently and independently.
- This prevents early influence or judgment.
- Typically lasts 5–10 minutes.
- Round-Robin Sharing
- Each participant shares one idea at a time in turn.
- The facilitator records all ideas on a shared board (physical or digital).
- No discussion is allowed yet. The goal is to surface all inputs.
- Clarification and Group Discussion
- The group discusses the ideas to clarify, not to debate.
- Similar items may be grouped or merged.
- Participants can ask for clarification but not criticize.
- Voting and Ranking
- Each participant privately ranks or votes on the ideas.
- Common methods: dot voting, ranking with numbers, or allocating points.
- The results are tallied and a prioritized list is formed.
- Discussion of Results
- The group reflects on the outcome.
- Next steps or actions are assigned.
- This may lead to further discussion or refinement.
Why It Works
NGT is powerful because it respects individual thinking while still leveraging group diversity. It creates:
- Equal participation
- Reduced bias and conflict
- Clarity of direction
- Documented rationale for decisions
In remote settings, this structure is especially helpful. Tools like Miro, MURAL, Jamboard, or even a shared Google Doc can support virtual NGT sessions effectively.
Practical Tips for Project Managers
- Set clear objectives for your session: Are you brainstorming solutions? Prioritizing tasks? Evaluating risks?
- Keep the group size under 10 for best results. For larger groups, break into subgroups.
- Timebox each stage to keep momentum.
- Train facilitators on neutrality. The role is to manage process, not content.
- Document outcomes clearly. Save snapshots of ideas, voting results, and key takeaways.
Common Use Cases in Project Work
- Sprint retrospectives: What worked, what didn’t, and what to improve.
- Risk assessments: Identify and prioritize threats or uncertainties.
- Backlog grooming: Prioritize features or technical debt items.
- Lessons learned: Surface insights from multi-stakeholder projects.
- Stakeholder engagement: Involve users or clients in requirement prioritization.
Final Thoughts
If you’re tired of endless debates or workshops where the outcome is fuzzy and the follow-up is unclear, give NGT a try. In today’s hybrid work environments, we need methods that are inclusive, efficient, and action-oriented. The Nominal Group Technique delivers all three.
As a project leader, your job isn’t just to get decisions made — it’s to ensure those decisions reflect the best thinking of the group. And sometimes, the best way to do that is to let everyone speak before anyone speaks up.
