Creating a decision¶
Rhizome offers a range of methods for making decisions together. So that you don’t have to know them all, the form asks you, step by step, about what you already know – and suggests a method to you at the end.
You can initiate a decision in the thread using the ‘Decide’ button in the composer, the command /decision, or from within a Question.
Title¶
What is this about? Keep it brief and to the point. If there is only one proposal, its title will become the title of the decision.
Who decides?¶
The first proper junction, and the only one where you actually need to know something.
Together – everyone votes on the selected proposals.
On behalf of – the group may offer input in advance or provide feedback afterwards, but the decision is taken independently by one person.
For On behalf of, you specify who that is. There are three ways:
- I decide – you are the decider and make the decision directly.
- Assign directly – you choose a person, who then makes the decision.
- Nomination round – the team decides together by consent who will make the decision. This is itself a small decision that precedes the main one.
Procedure¶
How binding should the result be? A choice of three options, no tick box – see procedure for further details.
| Binding | The result is valid and can be incorporated into tasks. |
| pulse check | Simply shows where the group stands. Does not lead to a binding decision. Also well suited for a combination of decision method, to first get a feel for preferences and then use these to make a binding decision. |
| Experiment | Valid for a limited period; will be reassessed once the deadline has passed. |
When setting up the experiment, you specify the duration straight away – in months or in your own words, such as in 3 days.
!!! Note: "Mood gauge only for joint decisions" It is not offered in the case of a decision made by a representative. A mood gauge shows where the group stands – if one person is making the decision anyway, it does not answer any specific question.
Proposals¶
What is being decided? Each proposal has a title and, optionally, an explanation. If proposals have already been posted in this thread, you can copy them rather than typing them out from scratch.
This is also where you select ‘none of these’ – the vote against all the proposals. Without it, a vote might force through a change even where the majority prefers the status quo. If this option wins, the vote has failed – see none of these.
It is not set by default, and it determines what happens next: if it is enabled, Rhizome will only offer you the voting methods in the next step.
Method¶
Rhizome shows you the methods that match the number of your suggestions and marks one as suggested. Clicking on All Methods takes you to the full list, sorted by the three categories.
The proposal is currently one of a number of proposals, and whether none of these has been selected:
| Suggestions | suggested | because |
|---|---|---|
| one | Consensus | a yes-or-no question |
| two | Opposition poll | a direct comparison |
| three to four | majority vote | a straightforward choice |
| five to six | allocation of points | a budget is better distributed than a single vote |
| seven and above | ranking | you want to rank them, not choose them |
This is a proposal, not a rule. However, some combinations aren’t possible: consent and consensus both refer to exactly one proposal, whilst the voting modes require at least two. Rhizome tells you this before you submit.
Duration¶
How long does the decision take? In addition to the guidelines – one of which is marked as recommended – there are:
- Duration, in your own words: Tuesday, 3 pm
- No time pressure – no end time
- As late as possible – as late as possible
In the case of a delegated decision, this stage is called the deadline for proposals; in the case of a nomination round, it is called the deadline for nominations. In each case, it refers to the time remaining for the others before a decision is made.
!!! Tip: "Deadlines are based on your activity hours" The recommended guidelines take into account your organisation’s activity hours. Any deadline that falls outside this period will be marked as such.
Start a remix¶
A completed decision – whether successful, unsuccessful or abandoned – can be revisited via the ⋯ menu next to the decision: Remix opens the same form, pre-filled with your suggestions. You can delete, add to and reword the details; you can also choose a new method, procedure and duration.
If you adopt a proposal as it stands, it remains attributed to the person who wrote it. If you amend it, your name will appear alongside it as the author.
The Remix is available whilst the topic is still open. It is not available for a topic that has been solved or archived – there would be no place for the new decision in those cases. Nor is it available for the nomination round, during which a group selects the decider.