Voting tools to support convergence process in collaboration

Abstract

Engineers, like others working in group settings, face several challenges in collaboration. One of the challenges is converging to a final decision. Group support systems (GSS) can support engineers in making decisions. GSS researchers and facilitators of group meetings recognise that implementing convergence processes in groups is a most demanding task. Voting, when used properly, can be a great aid in the convergence process. To reap the full benefit of voting in group decision, the computation and communication capabilities in GSS must be used when building voting tools. In this paper, we describe the functional requirements of sophisticated voting tools for collaboration based on prevailing theories and the functionality of existing voting tools. These considerations can serve as guidelines for the design and development of the next generation voting tools. Engineers, like others working in group settings, face several challenges in collaboration. One of the challenges is converging to a final decision. Group support systems (GSS) can support engineers in making decisions. GSS researchers and facilitators of group meetings recognise that implementing convergence processes in groups is a most demanding task. Voting, when used properly, can be a great aid in the convergence process. To reap the full benefit of voting in group decision, the computation and communication capabilities in GSS must be used when building voting tools. In this paper, we describe the functional requirements of sophisticated voting tools for collaboration based on prevailing theories and the functionality of existing voting tools. These considerations can serve as guidelines for the design and development of the next generation voting tools.