| KJ
PROCESS
Useful for:
- Brainstorming ideas and finding consensus
- Identifying areas of consensus
- Establishing priorities
- Getting input from all participants
For additional background information, please see http://www.uie.com/articles/kj_technique.
This website was useful in developing the Facilitator's Guide below.
FACILITATOR'S
GUIDE
(printable
version)
MATERIALS
NEEDED:
-
A
focus question
-
Stickies
in 3 different colors—main color (for brainstorming), about 30 per
person; color 2 (for group names), about 15 per person; color 3, one
for each group, so a total of 20 will probably be enough)
-
A
long wall with a smooth surface (chalkboards, whiteboards, glass,
or (and you’ll want to test to make sure it works) smooth paint. You
also need at least 6-8 feet in front of the wall so people have room
to walk around in front of the wall.
-
Pens—even
if you ask participants to bring one, it’s a good idea to have them
on hand.
-
Timer—A
watch or a kitchen timer
PREPARATION
-
Group
size: Works well with
8-12 people—larger groups generate more stickies than can be readily
processed by the group. Fewer
than 8 may not generate enough stickies or as many points of view as
may be useful..
-
Preparations:
It is helpful to set up the room ahead of time (if
possible) by writing the focus question on the board and putting
stickies for the brainstorming step at each place. It is also helpful
to have a supply of pens either ready or set out next to the stickies.
You can get the stickies for naming groups ready and distribute them
during step 2 of the process.
-
If possible, post the focus
question where everyone will be able to see it.
PROCESS
Introductions:
At the start of the session it is important to let people know who you are
and your role; it is important to let participants know that each
person’s ideas are useful and valued, so you’ll want to remind them
why they’re here.
Note:
You may want to keep a record of those present, but names should not be
associated with individual stickies.
Ground
rules
-
There
is no hierarchy—all ideas are created equal! Each person’s input
is valuable. Each person was invited to participate because they have
things to contribute.
-
No
talking. While there may be some incidental remarks between people,
especially during the grouping step (e.g. “Where are the ones about
feedback?”) almost all the steps are done without discussion.
-
You
can add a sticky at any time.
State
the focus question
Stickies
I.
Brainstorming (10 minutes)
a.
Specify which color stickies to use for this step.
b.
Ask participants to think about the focus question and begin
writing their ideas on sticky notes (one idea/note).
c.
When everyone has finished
writing (or when time is up), ask people to put their stickies randomly
(i.e. not in a group) on the walls.
II.
Reading (10 minutes)
a.
Ask people to read over all the stickies
b.
Remind people
that they can still add stickies
III.
Grouping (10-15 minutes)
a.
Have people find stickies that are the same/similar and put
them together on the wall.
b.
Groups should be easily identifiable as groups—people need
to make sure there is some space around them. If you’re using a
whiteboard or chalkboard, they can opt to draw a circle around the group
to define it.
c.
Let people know that if someone else has put a stickie in
one group, and they think it would be better somewhere else, they should
feel free to move it. If the other person wants, they can either move it
back, or write another stickie.
d.
Remember, people can add stickies at any time.
e.
During the last few minutes, prepare the stickies needed for
naming the groups and distribute them to participants.
IV.
Naming (10 minutes)
a.
Ask people to read each group, think of a name ( a word or
short phrase) that describes the group and then ask them to write the name
on a sticky and put it with the group.
b.
Everyone should come up with a name for each group.
Exception: If the exact name they chose is already on a sticky they
don’t have to put up another one. If helpful, they can, instead, put a
check mark on the sticky that is already up.
c.
If needed, you can still move stickies or re-organize groups
during this step.
V.
Voting (5 minutes)
a.
Ask people to write down the three groups they think are
most important on a separate piece of paper (or sticky) that they will NOT
be posting or sharing. Note: It doesn’t matter which group name you
use—just make sure you know which group it is that you think is
important.
b.
When they have identified their three groups, ask them to
rank them (1st, 2nd, 3rd) on their paper.
While they are doing that, put a third color sticky next to each group.
This will be used for voting.
c.
Ask people to vote by putting check marks on the sticky by
the appropriate group. Put 3 checks by the group that is the 1st
choice, 2 checks by the 2nd choice group, and 1 check by the 3rd
choice group.
VI.
Ranking (10-15 minutes)
a.
Groups that got votes are moved to a new section (if
appropriate) and votes tallied.
b.
At this point, ask people if they want to propose combining
any groups that are the same. Needs unanimous agreement to combine groups
and their votes. This is also a good opportunity for making sure that the
ideas are grouped correctly.
VII.
Review (5 minutes)
a.
If groups were combined, note the combine votes for the new
group(s) and then note the top three vote-getters
by putting “1st” “2nd” or “3rd”
on the appropriate stickies.
b.
Review the results with the group.
When
the meeting is finished, you will need to take down the stickies. It
may be helpful to have a record of the session. In which case, please
stack up the stickies BY GROUP
in this order (note, because they’re sticky, you will be building the
pile from the bottom up).
For the 1st group of
stickies:
·
Stickies from brainstorming (step 1)
·
Stickies with the names of the group (step 4) (These will go
on top of the step 1 stickies)
·
Put the sticky used for recording votes (step 5) on top of
the name(s)
(please include this, even if there were no votes for the group).
Repeat this order for the next
group building on the same stack.
Note: the stickies do stick to one
another, so the pile may be a bit ragged looking—that’s okay.
(printable
version) |
