Ranking among opportunities can be tricky during strategy and innovation planning. Rigorous metrics may take too long to gather. A simple A/B/C or 1/2/3 ranking strategy, though, ignores underlying assumptions about how beneficial or costly an option may be. Absent some kind of description, your "1" ranking may be very different than someone else's "1" ranking.
This video clip from the "Taking the NO Out of Business InNOvation" presentation discusses a beneficial ranking strategy which includes giving descriptions to each ranking point. Using this prioritization strategy, participants are forced to pick a descriptive ranking for each opportunity. This important step stimulates strategic discussion since each person has to weigh in with a choice others are able to interpret. It sets the stage for a clear opportunity to agree or disagree and use strategic discussion to move toward a stronger overall prioritization decision. - Mike Brown
