Fist to Five: If you ever find yourself wondering what the team is really thinking?

They say they agree with your plan but how much do they support it? Are they
quiet because they’re thinking through the implications of a topic? Or because they
have full agreement and support the topic under discussion? Or are they silently
plotting a group exodus to the nearest watering hole to share their concerns and
misconceptions? Or maybe you just want to put a fun spin on consensus?

A ‘Fist to Five’ is a multipurpose team tool approach to

• reach consensus,

• take a quick “temperature” check on the level of support for an idea,

• learn where people stand, or

• find out the level of confidence in the understanding of a topic.

Plan it into an upcoming event you’re leading or integrate it on the fly into any team
decision-making activity, including where to go for Happy Hour!
Five key benefits:
1. Low ceremony: Fist of Five is very simple to do. All you need is a question and
a fist. After that it is up to the team to discuss their scores and work towards
alignment.
2. Encourages participation: People who are not involved are not committed. Fist
of Five gets all the team members involved in the conversation. The 1’s and 2’s
get a non-confrontational opportunity to express their concerns, allowing the
team to learn as a whole.
3. Easier “No”:  No is an incredibly hard word to say. Especially when you
have to say it to your teammates. Fist of Five allows team members the
chance to disagree with the team or the question being asked without being
disagreeable. Openness is achievable and truthful conversations occur.
4. Creates alignment:  An aligned team is a powerful one. The goal of the vote is
get the team to collaborate and converge on an agreed up on number.  Taking
the time to address the 1’s and 2’s gets everyone “on the bus” and creates a
bonded team that can be successful.
5. Leads to action:  The alignment process tends to draw out the reasons
that team members are not confident. Perhaps the automated build isn’t so
automated. Or maybe there is a major flaw in the architecture that makes the
sprint goal difficult. Knowing these impediments gives the team a clear list of
action items to work on.

Here’s how to do it
Create a relevant gauge
Know why you are calling a vote to reduce any confusion.

Learning and gaining consensus

Learning and gaining consensus can improve by understanding who may not
agree or that some do not agree as strongly as others. This opens the opportunity
to discuss specific issues and concerns, enabling a stronger decision to move
forward. It can sometimes uncover issues that strong supporters of an idea
perhaps did not consider.

Check-in on where people are in their thinking

You can call a quick vote at any point in a process to get a sense of where the
room is on an issue. Imagine a large group working on an issue in breakout groups
(release planning, for example). You might have 2 hours planned for a segment,
with a check-in after 45 minutes. After the first 45 minutes, you might want to
know the confidence level that people have with the progress of the release plan.
You also might find that you are not making the progress you expected and need
to make some changes.
 Vote and move forward without consensus 
If your goal is to simply vote and move forward without consensus, the method
works for that as well. You simply vote and you have your answer. You might decide
to have some level of learning as well, just be clear about how much and when
you will take a final vote. Confusion arises when people assume we are working
towards consensus, but are in fact aiming for a winner-takes-all vote without
discussion. Even in situations with some discussion, it is important to clearly state
how the process will work. Will you have one round of discussion? Two? More? As
a facilitator of this process, consider how you will handle potential challenges in
the process such as a person blocking consensus. This information may be useful
to share with the final decision maker or the Product Owner may want to know but
still makes the decision.

Using the template and examples provided, write statements that make sense to
your situation for the six dimensions from a fist to each of the five fingers.

Templates
The templates with examples provided are meant for you to customize appropriately
to help you to get started. Based on your needs and the needs of your team
thoughtfully revise to make it meaningful and fun.

Fist to Five Template

©2019 International Institute of Business Analysis