Delphi Technique

The Delphi Technique is a structured forecasting method that gathers opinions from a panel of experts through survey questions, historically sent by mail, though digital surveys serve the same purpose today. Essentially, it’s a way of collecting written input on a specific problem from a group of specialists, typically through questionnaires, without ever needing to bring everyone into the same room.

Why it works well:

Because the responses stay confidential, panelists can share their honest take without worrying about how it’ll be received by colleagues. And since the process runs over multiple rounds, with each expert seeing where the group’s views are converging, opinions tend to shift and align gradually, which often leads to a genuinely useful consensus by the end.