Prioritise
$100 test
Also called 100-point method, Cumulative voting
Each person splits an imaginary $100 between the options, which shows not just what people prefer but how strongly.
- Time15 to 25 minutes
- People3 to 20 people
- Steps3
What it's for
Dot voting shows preference. Splitting a budget shows strength of preference: someone who puts all $100 on one option is telling you something three dots can't. It works well for ranking features, research questions or investments.
On this board each vote is $10, so everyone has ten votes and can stack them.
How to run it
List the options5 min
One option per note in the frame.
Spend the $1006 min10 votes each, stacking allowed
Each vote is $10. Spread them or stack them. Counts stay hidden until the end.
Reveal and discuss10 min
Reveal the totals. Ask the people who went all-in on one option why.
Tips
- Watch for gaming: people may put everything on their favourite to outweigh others. Ask for reasons, not just totals.
- Run it again after discussion. A big shift tells you the discussion mattered.
Where it comes from
Described as a requirements technique by Dean Leffingwell and Don Widrig in Managing Software Requirements (2003). It is also called cumulative voting.
Pairs well with
Dot voting
Everyone gets a few votes to place on the options they prefer, which shows where the group leans in a couple of minutes.
MoSCoW prioritisation
Sort requirements into must have, should have, could have and won't have this time, to agree scope against a fixed deadline.
Impact and effort matrix
Place each option by how much difference it would make and how hard it would be, to find the quick wins and the big bets.