The Sticky Decision

Definition

The Sticky Decision is a structured five-step sequence for choosing which sketched solutions to prototype, using sticky dots and notes at every stage instead of open discussion: (1) Art Museum — tape all solution sketches to the wall like gallery pieces; (2) Heat Map — everyone silently places dot stickers on the parts of any sketch they find interesting; (3) Speed Critique — the group briefly discusses each sketch's dot clusters against a timer, with a scribe capturing standout ideas on sticky notes; (4) Straw Poll — everyone silently picks one favorite solution and votes with a dot; (5) Supervote — the Decider(s) alone cast the final, overriding vote. The whole sequence deliberately avoids letting anyone pitch or defend their own idea out loud.

In the Book

Chapter 11 walks through the Slack sprint, where about twelve sketched solutions for explaining the product to new users were taped to a glass wall. The team moved through them silently, adding dot stickers to promising parts and sticky notes for concerns, then held brief timed "Speed Critiques" restricted to what the dot clusters showed. After a final silent straw poll, Merci Grace (the product manager and Decider) and Stewart Butterfield (Slack's CEO, in for a special appearance) each placed their supervotes — and the decision was made "sem debates sinuosos nem apresentações de ideias" (without winding debates or idea pitches). The book is explicit about why presentations are excluded: a charismatic pitch or a strong reputation ("Jamie always has good ideas") biases the room regardless of the idea's actual merit, and real customers on Friday won't have the creator there to explain it for them.

Why It Matters

Group decisions typically fail in one of two symmetric ways: cycling through options too fast to hold details in short-term memory, or debating one option so long the group tires and settles by exhaustion rather than judgment. The Sticky Decision breaks a single ambiguous task ("pick the best idea") into a sequence of small, low-stakes, mostly-silent judgments, each with its own format and time limit, so the group's opinion is captured before persuasion, charisma, or authority can distort it. The pattern — solicit independent judgment silently before allowing any group discussion — is exportable to any setting where oral advocacy predictably outruns the merit of the underlying idea.