Filtering Techniques

What it is

Filtering is the move between divergence (everyone writes) and commitment (the team picks one). Dot voting is the default, but the category is wider — Roman vote (continue/extend/move on), Fist of Five (confidence). The technique you pick changes the result. Stacking dots produces a clear winner; spreading them produces a long list. Anonymous voting kills the seniority anchor; visible voting reinstates it. Roman vote and Fist of Five are techniques, not standalone activities — they live inside other formats (Lean Coffee, planning sessions). Pick the technique that matches the decision you actually need.

When to use

Any time a retro, brainstorm, or planning session has surfaced more options than the team can act on. Skip filtering when there are fewer than five items — at that scale, just talk it through. Skip the formal vote when the team already agrees: an unnecessary vote can manufacture disagreement that wasn't there. And skip the open vote when seniority will skew the result; senior person votes last on dots, or the vote goes anonymous, or you measured the senior person's preference dressed as consensus.

Which one to pick

Choosing among 5+ items, want a clear winner

Dot voting. Three dots, vote silently, senior person votes last.

Inside Lean Coffee, deciding to extend or move on

Roman vote (thumbs up / sideways / down). The technique is the decision rhythm of Lean Coffee — it doesn't live alone.

Confidence check before commitment to a plan

Fist of Five. A 1 or 2 means surface the concern before voting again — the action loop is the load-bearing element.

Prioritisation across many options

Dot voting. Different shape of question to Fist of Five — Fist is confidence on one decision, dots are prioritisation across many.

Binary or near-binary decision (do we extend, do we ship)

Roman vote. Three states maximum — yes, extend, no.

Distributed team where seniority would skew the room

Anonymous dot voting. Visible voting reinstates the anchor you ran the format to remove.

Common mistakes

• Letting the senior person vote first on dots. Whatever they pick, the room follows. Senior votes last, or anonymous, or you measured one person's preference.
• Running a vote when the team already agrees. The format manufactures disagreement that wasn't there — you'll spend ten minutes recovering from a non-decision.
• Treating Roman vote or Fist of Five as a standalone activity. They're techniques inside other formats. Don't book a meeting for them.
• Stopping at the result of the vote. A 1 or 2 on Fist of Five is the start of the conversation, not the end — surface the concern, re-vote.
• Picking dot voting for a confidence check. Different shape of question — dots prioritise, Fist of Five measures conviction. Use the right tool.

All filtering techniques